THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


J( 


CHIM:  HIS  WASHINGTON  WINTER 


CHIM 


HIS  WASHINGTON  WINTER 


BY 

MADELEINE  VINTON  DAHLGREN 


NEW    YORK 

CHARLES  L.  WEBSTER  &  CO. 
1892 


Copyright,  1892 
MADELEINE  VINTON  DAHLGREN 

(All  rights  reserved} 
3 


PRESS   OF 

JENKINS  &  McCowAN 

NEW   YORK 


THIS    BOOK    IS    LOVINGLY 

DEDICATED 

TO 

MRS.    ROBERT   ANDERSON 

IN  REMEMBRANCE  OF  THE 
ENDURING  FRIENDSHIP  THAT  HAS  EXISTED 

BETWEEN 

OUR    HONORED  FATHERS,   OUR  PATRIOT 
HUSBANDS,  AND  OURSELVES 


1702013 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS 


CHAPTER    I                                PAGE 
CHIM'S  EDUCATION n 

CHAPTER    II 
CHIM  ARRIVES  i.\  WASHINGTON 34 

CHAPTER    III 
INCIDENTAL  TO  CHIM 57 

CHAPTER    IV 

ALMA  TINDS  A  HOME  THROUGH  CHIM 81 

CHAPTER   V 
CHIM'S  DEBUT 105 

CHAPTER    VI 
CHIM  AND  THE  LA  FAVETTE  DE  Noo's 132 

CHAPTER    VII 

CHIM'S  Loss  AND  WHAT  CAME  OF  IT 163 

CHAPTER   VIII 
CHIM  AT  THE  DE   Noo  BALL 186 

CHAPTER    IX 
CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK 214 

CHAPTER    X 
CHIM'S  THIRD  ADVENTURE 238 

CHAPTER   XI 
CHIM  ACCEPTS  A  NE\V   MASTER 265 

CHAPTER   XII 
CHIM  SUB  ROSA 290 

CHAPTER   XIII 
CHIM  THE  DISCOVERER 314 


CHIM 

CHAPTER    I 

CHIM'S  EDUCATION 

ALMA  AYLWYN  taught  music  in  a  pretty 
Pennsylvania  town,  sometimes  called  "  Little 
Washington,"  in  contradistinction  possibly  to 
the  national  city  of  that  name. 

She  was  a  capital  girl,  however,  even  if  she 
did  not  live  in  a  capital  city. 

"  Little  Washington,"  as  it  was  designated 
in  its  early  life,  is  a  spot  favorable  to  the  out 
growth  and  the  indwelling  of  much  that  has 
made  itself  known,  for  it  boasts  a  college  of  no 
small  renown,  and  a  "  Female  Seminary,"  long 

and  well  established. 

ii 


12  CHIM 

Some  men,  world-renowned,  as,  foi  instance, 
the  magnetic  statesman  Blaine,  "drank  deep" 
at  this  Pierian  spring  in  youth,  at  a  time  when 
the  venerable  father  of  a  president's  wife  was 
a  professor  at  this  "  well  of  learning  undefiled." 

And  this  same  place  has  also  given  to  the 
nation  other  cabinet  ministers  and  public  men; 
also  its  philanthropists,  like  Dr.  LeMoyne, 
and,  in  fact,  an  unusual  number  of  clever  men 
and  women,  who  have  more  or  less  assisted  to 
regulate  the  affairs  of  this  spread-eagle  nation. 

And  now  we  wish  to  make  it  known  as  the 
picturesque  home  of  a  brave,  talented,  hand 
some,  musical  girl,  and  her  adored  and  ador 
able  dog  Chim. 

Alma  possessed  various  qualities  that  fitted 
her  to  be  the  heroine  of  a  realistic  novel,  al 
though  as  this  story  progresses  it  may  be 
thought  that  she  was  not  matter-of-fact  enough 
for  the  absolute  requirements  of  a  prosaic  age. 

But  Alma's  character  rather  transcended  in 
its  various  aspects  the  present  school  of  fic 
tion,  because,  in  defiance  of  set  rules,  she  com- 


CHIM'S   EDUCATION  13 

bined  the  requisites  needed  to  fill  pages  and 
pages  of  the  trivial,  inconsequential,  common 
place  events  of  that  every-day  life  it  is  so  much 
the  fashion  to  describe  with  tiresome  particu 
larity,  combined  happily  with  at  least  a  Prome 
thean  spark  of  fancy,  idealism,  and  soul. 

It  may  seem  very  strained  to  say  so,  but  if 
Alma  had  not  been  endowed  with  this  higher 
nature,  which  set  her  apart  as  something  rare, 
she  would  not  have  been  the  worthy  mistress 
of  the  wonderful  Chim. 

It  was  formerly  laid  down  as  a  rule,  that 
every  well-written  novel  must  have  its  hero 
and  its  heroine,  so  this  story,  in  that  respect, 
opens  well — as  will  presently  be  seen,  amidst 
the  entanglement  and  disentanglement  of  the 
narration,  that  Chim  as  the  connecting  link  be 
tween  the  human  and  the  divine  element,  was, 
if  not  Darwinian,  at  least  heroic. 

At  the  tender  age  of  six  weeks  Chim  was 
presented  to  Alma  by  a  Virginia  gentleman, 
who,  whatever  else  he  may  have  failed  to  ac 
quire,  did  know  the  points  of  a  good  dog. 


14  CHIM 

Chim's  education  was  at  once  commenced, 
and  \ve  use  the  word  advisedly  and  declare 
emphatically  that  this  extraordinary  being  was 
not  merely  trained,  but  he  was  educated. 

Where  the  breed  has  been  preserved  in 
greatest  purity,  dogs  are  as  a  matter  of  course 
carefully  trained,  and  their  finest  points  duly 
brought  out. 

Now  Chim.  being  of  an  inborn  noble  strain, 
was  capable  of  an  astounding  measure  of  de 
velopment. 

He  was  of  the  terrier  kind,  small  and  elegant 
in  shape,  and  his  little  frame  was  almost  con 
cealed  in  the  masses  of  long,  soft,  silky,  bluish- 
gray  hair  that  covered  him  from  head  to  foot. 

He  held  his  fluffy,  feathery  tail  curved  back 
with  much  spirit. 

But  the  grace  and  beauty  of  Chim's  form 
culminated  in  the  exquisite  contour  of  a  small, 
finely  rounded  head,  with  long  pendulous  ears, 
and  large  expressive  eyes,  whose  mild  intelli 
gence  seemed  to  take  note  of  everything. 

It  was  curious,  for  when  one  looked  at  Alma, 


CHIM'S  EDUCATION  15 

one  was  conscious  that  she  had  a  history,  and 
her  dog,  either  by  reflection  or  in  reality,  gave 
the  same  impression.  It  is  plain  to  see  that 
they  were  two  very  interesting  beings. 

Perhaps  the  name  of  this  dear  doggie  may  be 
deemed  to  be  an  unfortunate  one,  but  Chim 
had  been  so  named  at  his  birth,  by  a  capricious 
master,  on  account  of  a  fancied  resemblance  to 
the  chimpanzee. 

The  likeness  to  this  creature,  if  likeness  there 
was,  doubtless  existed  in  the  canine's  peculiar, 
almost  human  look  of  astuteness. 

Could  the  wee  thing  have  been  consulted  at 
the  start,  a  far  better  name  would  have  been 
given,  but  in  this  our  hero  shared  the  common 
fate  of  mortals  who  have  to  go  through  life  and 
are  ushered  into  eternity  under  names  not  of 
their  own  proper  choosing.  It  does  seem  a  lit 
tle  hard,  nevertheless,  to  be  born  all  right,  and 
yet  to  be  named  all  wrong.  Alma  at  first  tried 
in  every  way  to  make  Chim  answer  to  a  more 
euphonious  name,  but  without  avail.  He  was 
docile  and  loving,  obedient  and  faithful,  but  for 


16  CHIM 

some  good  reason  he  had  concluded  to  abide 
by  the  name  of  Chim.  Alma  thought  that  he 
ought  to  be  called  "  Rainbow,"  with  his  silky 
hair  of  a  bluish-gray  sheen  and  ever-varying 
tint,  but  he  was  too  smart  to  submit  to  such  a 
fantastic  appellation. 

"Ah,  Chim,  thou  art  wise  in  thy  dog  clay  ! 
—it  is  strange  to  see  with  what  strength  of 
mind  thou  resistest  temptation,"  she  said  to  him. 

They  sat  together  in  Alma's  little  room,  by 
the  window. 

"  Dear  Rainbow,"  sighed  Alma,  letting  a 
pearly  tear  drop  on  the  top  of  his  curling,  shin 
ing  pate.  He  was  irresponsive. 

"  Darling  Rainbow,"  she  whispered  into  his 
fluffy  ear,  stroking  gently  the  long  masses  of 
hair. 

He  looked  grave  and  meditative,  almost  half 
jealous,  as  if,  perchance,  some  other  creature 
were  being  addressed.  A  cat  would  have 
purred  its  own  requiem  under  such  magnetic 
strokes. 

"  I  will  try  it  once  again,"  thought  Alma. 


CHIM'S   EDUCATION  I/ 

"  Beloved  Rainbow,"  she  urged,  resting  her 
damask  cheek  caressingly  on  his  head. 

But  the  little  fellow  lay  inert,  and  seemingly 
unconscious  of  the  endearment. 

"  It's  no  use,"  she  said.  "  He  has  a  right  to 
his  own  name,  as  it  defines  his  individuality. 
Chim,  sir,"  she  cried,  rising  with  a  somewhat 
displeased  air. 

At  once  he  responded  and  the  whole  of  his 
little  form  grew  instinct  with  virile  life.  He 
seemed1  to  be  one  big  nerve,  and  each  particu 
lar  hair  was  electrified.  He  bounded,  rolled 
upside  down,  yelped,  shook  himself,  and  al 
most  articulated  his  delight.  Then  Alma's 
quick,  musical  ear,  at  once  caught  in  Chim's 
voice  a  reflex  of  human  tones. 

She  gazed  wistfully  into  his  soulful  orbs  of 
eyes — 

"How  deep  they  are,"  she  soliloquized;  "not 
painted  eyes,  or  surface  eyes,  like  those  of  so 
many  people,  whose  lives  from  the  cradle  to 
the  grave  merely  skim  along  on  the  surface 
froth  and  foam  of  an  irresistible  tide." 


18  CHIM 

What  indeed  was  the  peculiarity  of  those  big 
eyes  that  made  them  a  riddle,  and  yet  a  blank 
that  defied  penetration  ?  They  were  so  mys 
teriously  veiled,  like  a  prophet  of  Khorassan. 

"  Is  he  ne-coiffc?"  thought  Alma  ?  "  Is  he 
a  mascot  ? " 

And  Chim  mentally  answered,  "  I  am  your 
mascot." 

Who  can  lift  the  tantalizing  haze  that  hangs 
over  those  eyes  ? 

"  Chim,"  she  says,  "  I  command  you,  see  as 
I  sec!  " 

He  barks  "  yeh — ych." 

"  It  is  very  human,"  mused  she  reflectively — 
"it  means  assent.  It  means  'yes.'  It  is  'j>i~s,' 
a  lisping  yes,  such  as  a  child  might  give,"  she 
presently  exclaimed.  "  Come  my  darling,  try 
again,"  she  urged  " — slow — plain — 'y-e-s.'" 
Chim  certainly  had  it — stammered  perhaps — 
but  said  "  y-e-h." 

So  the  morning  lesson  closed  with  one  word 
of  the  diapason  of  sound  reclaimed  by  the 
canine  tongue. 


CHIM'S   EDUCATION  IQ 

"  I  have,"  thought  Alma,  "  spanned  by  a 
threadlike  bridge  reason  and  instinct,  and  '  yes  ' 
is  the  connecting  link — it  is  affirmation.  And 
yet  the  chasm  itself  is  not  bridged,  for  my  rea 
soning  faculty  is  conceptive,  while  my  dog's 
power  must  be  imitative.  Ah,  Chim  !  I  fear 
we  are  as  far  apart  as  ever." 

Chirn  barked  "y-e-h." 

"My  darling."  said  Alma,  bending  intently 
over  him,  "cannot  the  ethereal  film  that  cov 
ers  your  eyes  be  brushed  away  ?  Is  it  the 
cobweb  bars  of  your  prison,  dear  ?  Why 
are  you  thus  encaged  ?  Is  there  no  help, 
Chim  ?  " 

Chim  articulated  distinctly  a  yelping  "  y-e-h." 

"Lovely,"  said  Alma,  squeezing  him  tight 
in  her  arms.  "You  are,  as  the  world  goes,  a 
dog — nothing  more.  I  am  a  woman.  You 
are  born  to  perish.  I  am  born  to  life  everlast 
ing — ah,  dear,  must  you  be  blotted  out  utterly? 
Is  there  no  immortal  spark  of  life  ?  " 

Chim  looked  dreamy,  shut  his  eyes,  con 
centered  himself,  and  was  silent,  being  too 


2O  CHIM 

wise  to  grapple  with  the  infinite.  It's  queer  in 
how  many  ways  the  antithetical  occurs  ;  for 
instance,  silence  is  alike  the  refuge  of  the  wise 
and  the  idiot. 

"Ah,  doggie,"  continued  Alma,  "I'm  afraid 
you're  automatic,  or  only  at  best  a  galvanized 
force  of  some  kind.  Chim,  did  you  evolute  ?  " 
The  dear  little  thing  winked,  blinked,  shook 
out  the  masses  of  hair,  yawned,  stretched  out, 
got  up  and  turned  round  three  times,  then 
calmly  settled  himself  for  what  is  called  a 
"  catnap,"  which  dogs  are  very  fond  of  tak 
ing. 

"  Ah,  dear,  I  understand  you,"  said  Alma, 
"you  mean  that  my  talk  is  tiresome,  you  little 
rascal.  I  am  but  teaching  you  the  origin  of 
your  species — and  you  end  all  in  sleep;  well, 
that  may  be  the  end  of  all  for  you." 

After  a  time  they  took  a  walk  over  the 
green  hills  that  environ  Little  Washington. 
Alma  was  meditative — Chim  was  frisky. 

The  next  day  and  the  next,  and  the  next 
after  that,  and  so  for  five  successive  days,  there 


CHIM'S   EDUCATION  21 

were  music  lessons  to  be  given.  Oh,  the  mor 
tal  fatigue  of  it  all  !  Has  no  one  ever  thought 
of  the  torturous  fate  of  a  music  teacher?  Of  a 
being  whose  ears  are  trained  and  sensitive, 
and  whose  greatest  happiness  is  in  concord  of 
sweet  sounds,  yet  who  is  doomed  day  after 
day,  month  after  month,  year  after  year — yea, 
for  years  covering  a  lifetime  to  be  jarred  by 
discord,  always  to  hear  the  quavering  notes  of 
beginners.  Never  to  be  able  to  listen  to 
really  good  music.  To  know  that  so  soon  as 
the  favorite  pupil  can  play  well,  that  your  task 
is  over.  Then  to  begin  again,  only  to  shudder 
anew  over  failures.  What  invention  of  purga 
torial  pain  is  this  ? 

"Yes,"  mused  Alma,  "  in  my  grandfather's 
old  home,  I  remember  to  have  seen  some  won 
derful  bronzes. 

"  What  could  have  become  of  them  ?  They 
represented  three  musical  devils.  The  big 
demon  sits  astride  of  a  huge  drum,  the  face  of 
which  represents  time  as  a  clock.  He  tries  to 
quench  eternal  fires  by  clamor.  He  bends 


22  CHIM 

fiercely  over,  beats  his  devil's  tattoo  until  the 
very  nails  of  his  toes  lengthen  into  talons,  and 
the  skinny,  batlike  hands  take  on  the  sem 
blance  of  claws,  yet  never  for  an  instant  can 
he  cease. 

"  A  second  imp  stands  bending  an  aching  ear 
to  a  violin,  from  which  he  draws  double  dis 
cordant  tones,  and  the  hard  lines  of  his  eager 
face  contract  in  pinched  dismay  as  the  sensi 
tive  sense  is  forever  lacerated. 

"  Yes,  forever,  without  pause,  intermission,  or 
rest,  must  he  be  thus  tortured.  And  his  long 
fingers  convulsively  wind  themselves  in 
agonizing  tension  over  the  finely  waxed  bow. 

"  The  third  doomed  one  shows  his  endless 
pain  as  he  bends  over  the  relaxed  and  broken 
strings  of  a  lyre.  Eternally  his  hands  are 
bruised  by  snapping  cords,  and  the  echo  of 
the  jarring  sound  pierces  his  brain.  Again  and 
again  he  clasps  with  swollen,  forceful  fingers 
the  aimless  octaves.  Naught  for  him  but  ever 
lasting  collapse. 

"  Quivering  with  extremest  nervous  tension, 


CHIM'S   EDUCATION  23 

the  attenuated  feet  are  transfixed  into  the 
yielding  molten  earth." 

And  Alma's  musical  soul  shivered  as  she  re 
called  these  bronzes  that  had  made  such  a 
deep  impression  on  her  when  a  child. 

"Can  this  be,"  thought  she,  "the  special 
hell  of  the  .lover  of  music,  who  has  put  the 
heavenly  art  to  base  uses  in  life  ?  Can  there 
be  a  sheol,  where  there  is  the  ocean's  ebb  and 
flow,  of  surging,  lapping,  tumultuous  waves  of 
inharmonious  sound  without  rhythm — without 
surcease?  Ah,  let  me  not  then  complain  if  I 
suffer  from  discord  now,  but,  embracing  my 
cross  with  patience,  make  of  it  ascending  scales 
to  Heaven." 

Then  Alma  recalled  that  past  when,  as  a 
flaxen-haired  child,  she  had  always  loved  mu 
sic,  and  later  on  her  talent  was  developed. 

Now  her  gift  was  the  resource  upon  which 
she  must  depend. 

Oh,  what  memories  came  with  the  faint  rec 
ollection  of  that  clear  rambling  old  house  ! 

It   all   seemed   so  unreal,  so  like  the  fever- 


24  CHIM 

ed  and  inconsequent  events  of  a  nightmare 
dream. 

First,  there  was  her  father's  death.  Up  to 
that  time  there  had  been  a  broad  sunshine  in 
which  one  might  have  bathed,  it  was  so  tangi 
ble — yet  she  was  so  young  then  that  she  rather 
remembered  the  sudden  shadow  through  her 
mother's  pain. 

After  that  loss  and  the  leaving  the  big  house 
there  came  the  wasting  away  of  the  dear  moth 
er,  and  the  well-remembered  sorrow  of  her 
loss. 

She  was  aroused  from  the  stupor  of  this  great 
darkness  by  the  cousin  who  now  lived  in  her 
grandfather's  big  house  sending  her  to  a  board 
ing-school  to  be  educated  for  a  music-teacher. 

Just  to  think  of  it — not  for  the  joy  and  the 
love  of  her  art,  but  for  grinding  work  ! 

How  it  all  came  about  she  never  could  un 
derstand.  Her  cousin  was  cold  and  stern,  and 
had  written  her  that  "there  were  business 
complications."  But  except  through  his  letters 
he  was  a  stranger  to  her. 


CIIIM'S   EDUCATION  25 

After  all,  Alma  had  the  instinctive  philoso 
phy  that  youth  and  beauty  give. 

And  way  down  in  her  heart  she  knew  intui 
tively —  that  is,  she  knew  without  knowing 
that  she  knew — that  she  must  sooner  or  later, 
on  some  fine  day,  draw  one  of  the  big  prizes  in 
the  lottery  of  life. 

Nor  was  she  far  from  wrong,  because  there 
does  always  seem  to  be  a  wheel  turning  out 
prizes  for  the  young  and  the  fair. 

"  After  all,"  laughed  Alma,  pinching  Chim's 
car,  "  I  have  you,  my  pet,  and  more  docile, 
obedient,  sensitive  and  faithful  than  any  hu 
man  friend." 

And  as  Chim  nodded  approval,  she  added: 
"But  you  need  education.  That  I  will  give 
you,  and  you  shall  go  down  in  history  as  the 
most  learned  of  your  race.  Through  you, 
dearie,  the  canine  nature  shall  reach  a  peg 
higher — through  the  canines  the  equines — 
through  the  equines  the  felines  will  stretch  up 
to  a  higher  plane.  Yes,  attain  it  through 
Chim  and  myself." 


26  CIIIM 

One  sees  at  a  glance  what  a  brave  girl  Alma 
was — how  very  intelligent,  nay,  learned- — al 
most  the  equal  of  a  Vassar  girl,  indeed,  if  she 
did  have  to  teach  music  to  earn  her  daily 
bread. 

"  In  fact,"  said  she,  standing,  not  before  her 
mirror,  but  beside  her  window,  "  I  have  my 
ambitions;  let  fate  do  her  worst,  I  shall  not 
succumb.  So,  courage — I  place  my  hope  in 
Chim." 

Succeeding  this  revery,  and  the  resolve  that 
grew  out  of  it,  Chim  was  taught  daily.  He 
went  to  school.  What  may  not  be  accom 
plished  with  such  a  teacher  ? 

It  is  said  that  cultivation  expands  the  hu 
man  brain. 

Even  educated  pigs  become  interesting.  In 
fact,  we  know  quite  a  number  that  are  more  or 
less  so. 

It  is  a  solemn  fact,  although  not  a  scientific 
one,  perhaps,  that  so  great  was  the  magnetic 
rapport  established  between  Alma  and  Chim 
that  the  positive  pole  of  her  brain  found  its 


CHIM'S   EDUCATION  2/ 

negative  pole  in  his  noddle,  and  there  was 
thus  existing  a  free  current  of  communication 
by  which  a  seeming  intelligence  was  transmit 
ted. 

It  is  said  that  the  particular  method  of 
transmission  discovered  by  Alma  was,  the 
rubbing  the  dog  between  the  eyes  with  the 
forefing.er,  which  digital  pressure  always  had 
an  hypnotic  effect.  But  after  a  time,  so  busy 
was  Alma  in  her  otherwise  unoccupied  hours, 
so  absorbed  and  interested  in  experimenting 
with  Chim,  that  she  absolutely  forgot  to  re 
member  how  lonely  she  ought  to  feel. 

And  right  here,  one  may  as  well  confide  it, 
Alma  had  a  little  secret,  which  was  valuable; 
it  was  this:  that  outside  of  religion  there  is  no 
surer  road  to  positive  content  than  to  ignore 
one's  self.  She  had  observed  that  more  than 
half  the  desolation,  the  excessive  grieving,  the 
morbid  sufferings  of  men  and  women  come 
from  this  never-ending  thinking  about  one's 
self. 

It  is  the  hibernation  of  the  ego   that  sucks 


28  CHIM 

out  all  the  fresh  juices  of  life  and  leaves  even 
the  young  stranded  on  the  shores  of  time,  as 
crouches  the  lean  and  gaunt  bear,  recumbent 
in  his  darksome  lair. 

Chim  looked  forward  to  his  lessons  with 
eager  pleasure. 

There  was  so  much  to  attract  in  the  paper 
bag  of  crackers,  the  saucer  of  milk  and  the 
lumps  of  sugar  that  at  the  end  of  the  lesson  re 
warded  this  apt  scholar. 

The  dog's  improved  articulation,  under  the 
daily  tuition  of  this  dear,  accomplished  vocal 
ist  was  surprising.  He  could  readily  bark 
"yes  "  and  "  no."  His  bow  was  Chesterfieldian 
— just  the  accepted  form  for  good  breeding — a 
slight,  slow  inclination.  His  snarl,  like  that 
of  the  man  of  fashion,  conveyed  the  most  point 
ed  rebuke,  while  his  welcome  to  those  who 
were  worthy  of  it,  was  diffuse  and  generous. 
Should  he  by  any  mischance  have  met  a  poor 
relation,  he  knew  how  to  pass  him  by  with  a 
sniff.  Was  he  properly  introduced  he  could 
scent  the  air  with  cordial  approval.  Did  he 


CHIM'S   EDUCATION  29 

happen  to  be  among  strangers,  he  knew  how 
to  become  totally  indifferent  to  their  presence. 
This  educated  whelp  had  every  fine  point  of 
fashionable  society  at  his  toes'  ends — even  to 
the  sheathing  of  his  claws,  until  he  could 
scratch  with  effect.  It  is  not  to  be  denied  that 
the  puppy  is  admirably  qualified  to  take  a  high 
place  in  the  beau  monde !  His  attitudes  are 
Delsartian  and  expressive  of  easy  grace,  his 
mdods  capricious  and  senseless,  his  reasoning 
powers  in  abeyance,  his  impulses  those  of  his 
breed,  and  his  conversation  refreshingly  unin 
telligible. 

Evidently,  art  had  assisted  nature  to  make 
Chim  a  great  social  success.  Was  he  destined 
to  waste  those  remarkable  powers  in  a  restrict 
ed  sphere?  We  shall  see.  It  is  the  part  of  a 
wise  dog  to  prepare  for  greatness,  as  it  may, 
inevitably,  sooner  or  later  be  thrust  upon 
him.  To  be  sure,  with  the  human  race  the 
thrusting  is  apt  to  come  in  another  world, 
which  is  a  great  advantage,  inasmuch  as  it 
comes  upon  a  higher  plane.  But  our  hero, 


30  CHIM 

being  only  a  dog,  had  to  look  more  to  present 
results.  How  was  this  brought  about — how  ? 
Mark  my  words,  that  is,  if  you  can  understand 
them.  Alma  had  intuitions,  owing,  probably, 
to  the  big  old  house  of  her  grandfather  in  Vir 
ginia  and  the  early  perceptions  resulting  from 
her  training  when  she  was  a  little  tot.  She 
knew  that  to  be  well  received  Chim  must  be 
just  the  least  bit  of  an  Anglomaniac,  and  so 
she  taught  him  to  take  a  thimbleful  of  high 
tea  at  5  o'clock.  Naturally,  being,  after  all, 
only  a  puppy,  he  didn't  take  kindly  to  slops, 
but  he  was  persistently  squeezed  into  this  re 
fined  taste,  by  being  tied  tight  in  a  small  arm 
chair,  where,  posed  judiciously  and  firmly  on 
his  hind  legs,  he  was  taught  how  to  hold  a  cup 
and  saucer  daintily  'twixt  the  forepaws,  and 
sip  tea  scalding  hot,  without  a  tear  or  a  gulp. 

But  the  culminating  triumph  was  the  dawd 
ling  way  in  which  Chim  shook  hands. 

Oh,  Jupiter  !  what  a  graceful  dip  and  curve 
he  had  !  Slowly  twisting  a  forepaw  by  a 
seeming  dislocation  from  the  shoulder-blade, 


CHIM'S  EDUCATION  31 

the  limb,  rigid  to  the  first  joint,  suddenly  be 
came  flexible  from  that  intersecting  point 
downwards,  then  hung  for  one  brief  instant 
limp,  before  it  darted  into  a  jerk.  It  was  some 
thing  immense  ! 

And  still  the  little  wonder  literally  grew,  al 
though  neither  mistress  nor  skye-terrier  were,  I 
fear,  understood  by  their  immediate  circle,  as 
they  deserved  to  be,  as  indeed  usually  happens 
with  the  meritorious.  Columbus  was  not  un 
derstood  in  his  time,  nor  is  Shakespeare  to 
this  day  !  And  perhaps  it  may  have  weight 
to  state  here,  that  Chim  let  Alma  know,  dur 
ing  the  hypnotic  process,  that  he  was  a  Baco 
nian.  But  let  that  go:  we  have  now  to  deal 
with  a  certain  law  of  nature,  that  where  there 
is  light,  a  shadow  falls.  So,  out  of  the  bright 
dawning  light  of  a  new  era  for  all  dogs,  all 
beasties,  over  one  miserable  dog  there  fell  a 
deep  shadow. 

It  came  about  in  this  wise.  Near  where 
Alma  boarded  was  a  green  meadow,  through 
which  ran  a  silent  brooklet,  and  here  the  dear 


32 

girl  loved  to  take  her  pet,  where,  reclining  on 
the  gentle  slope  of  its  verdant  bank,  she 
amused  herself  with  the  playful  but  surprising 
pranks  of  the  canine. 

On  this  woeful  day,  Alma  was  sent  for,  to 
see  some  one  about  music  lessons,  and  when 
Chim  would  have  followed  her,  she  bade  him 
remain  where  he  was  in  the  open  air,  until  her 
return.  At  first  the  dog  ventured  to  go  with 
her,  but  Alma  would  not  tolerate  disobedience, 
and  spoke  sharply  to  him,  when  with  an  ap 
pealing  look,  and  a  pitiful  whine  he  fell  back 
upon  the  grassy  sward,  and  Alma  went  on 
without  him. 

Had  he  no  premonition  of  danger? — no  finer 
sense  of  coming  evil  ? 

Be  that  as  it  may,  when  Alma,  who  was  de 
tained  somewhat  longer  than  she  expected, 
returned — Chim  had  disappeared. 

The  most  prolonged  and  careful  search  gave 
no  clue  to  the  missing  treasure. 

Alas,  the  last  glimpse  poor  Alma  had  had 
of  her  darling  was  the  sorrowing  gesture,  the 


CHIM'S   EDUCATION  33 

faint  whine,  with  which  he  had  collapsed  upon 
the  grass. 

Alas,  alas  !  Chim,  with  the  superior  prescient 
ken  of  his  race,  had  foreseen  the  impending 
peril  and  tried  in  vain  to  avert  it. 

Alack-a-day  !  He  had  preferred  obedience 
to  ruin  and  fallen  a  martyr  to  duty. 

What  can  be  more  painful  than  to  have  to 
chronicle  the  perfections  of  an  amiable  being, 
who  by  an  inexorable  chain  of  events  is  thus 
suddenly  snatched  from  view  ! 

Yet  not  wishing  to  impair  digestion,  or  har 
row  sensitive  hearts  ruthlessly  or  needlessly, 
I  can  at  least  draw  a  kindly  veil  over  the  sharp 
sorrows  of  Alma,  and  perchance  likewise  over 
the  unmerited  sufferings  of  Chim,  at  this  most 
dolorous,  most  unforeseen  interruption  of  their 
united  loves  and  lives. 


CHAPTER   II 

CHIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON 

THE  course,  not  of  true  love,  but  of  this 
true  story,  now  transfers  us  from  the  pleasant 
town  of  Washington,  to  the  enchanting  capital 
of  that  name,  where  various  things  transpire 
of  moment  to  narrate. 

Here  we  find  Lennox  Montague,  a  youthful 
practitioner,  amid  the  pleasurable  excitement 
of  opening  an  office  for  the  transaction  of  busi 
ness,  and  the  satisfaction  he  experiences  is 
something  akin  to  that  of  the  debutante  when 
she  is  first  ushered  into  the  bcan-monde. 

Both  are  just  emerging  from  a  chrysalis 
state,  and  coming  into  new  conditions,  involv 
ing  success  or  failure. 

This  captivating  young  lawyer  was  fair  to 
look  upon,  and  slight,  but  in  no  wise  effeminate, 

34 


CHIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  35 

because  he  was  mild  of  aspect  and  of  graceful 
appearance.  In  a  word,  he  was  slender  but 
not  shallow. 

His  amiable  expression  was  inherited  from  a 
gracious  and  charming  mother,  and  his  allur 
ing  address  the  result  of  careful  domestic 
training. 

The  _fmest  school  of  manners  comes  from 
the  successive  training  of  three  generations, 
although  more  may  be  permitted,  and  this 
advantage  Lennox  Montague  had  had.  This 
gave  him  what  might  be  called  a  fascinating 
intelligence.  He  had  grace,  ease,  strength, 
with  quick  intuitions  that  led  to  prompt  action. 
The  desire  to  please  inherent  in  refined  na 
tures  made  him  a  decided  social  favorite,  and 
he  blended  the  rare  qualities  of  being  exact  in 
business  and  punctilious  in  society. 

It  may  seem  strange  to  say  so,  but  in  reality 
both  these  characteristics  have  precisely  the 
same  basis:  that  is,  close  attention  to  little 
things.  In  business  this  habit  is  of  first  impor 
tance,  and  it  does  not  seem  to  be  generally 


36  CHIM 

understood  what  very  momentous  matters  oc 
cupy  society. 

One  readily  agrees  to  entrust  one's  affairs  to 
a  person  who,  besides  being  otherwise  compe 
tent,  does  not  neglect  the  smallest  detail. 

These  admirable  traits  and  his  mental  gifts 
caused  this  youth  to  be  alike  trusted  by  men, 
and  a  favorite  with  women. 

He  had  been  a  diligent  student  at  Harvard, 
and  graduated  at  her  law-school,  well  equipped 
for  the  career  he  had  chosen,  and  old  family 
ties  had  induced  him  to  come  to  Washington. 

At  first  he  had  entered  a  leading  law  firm,  in 
order  to  familiarize  himself  with  local  legal 
forms,  and  now,  having  well  served  this  ap 
prenticeship,  he  was  ready  to  launch  out  for 
himself. 

Of  course  his  office  was  on  F  street,  and  a 
very  modest  room  it  was,  for  it  takes  a  mod 
erate  income  to  meet  an  F  street  rent,  and  al 
though  Lennox  Montague  was  what  is  aptly 
called  "  well  off,"  yet  he  was  not  wealthy. 

The  old  families  of  Washington  were  always 


CIIIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  37 

taught  to  pray,  "  Oh,  Lord,  give  us  neither 
poverty  nor  riches,"  and  Lennox  belonged  to 
that  honored  and  honorable  ticrs-ctat. 

But  every  one  predicted  that  in  the  near  fu 
ture  he  would  be  rich,  he  was  so  clever. 

As  yet,  Washington  is  not  too  spoiled  to  re 
fuse  to  take  an  interest  in  trivial  things,  and  at 
times  the  more  trivial  the  deeper  the  interest, 
and  so  it  made  quite  a  little  stir  that  one  of  her 
so'cial  favorites  had  taken  an  office  for  himself, 
and  really  meant  business. 

So  rare  a  thing  could  scarcely  be  credited, 
except  upon  inspection  of  the  premises,  and 
not  a  few  society  women  called  upon  the  young 
attorney  as  soon  as  he  was  established  in  his 
cozy  office. 

Miss  Featherweight  came  to  have  an  im 
portant  codicil  of  a  forgotten  ancestral  piece  of 
old  blue  Canton  china,  willow  pattern,  added  to 
her  will,  and  she  declared  that  the  aforesaid 
office  was  "just  too  cute  for  anything,"  and  she 
was  a  good  judge  of  cuteness  and  china.  While 
Mrs.  Akme,  who  called  as  an  old  friend  of  his 


38  CIIIM 

mother,  in  order  to  encourage  him,  remarked, 
that  "  the  place  had  an  air  of  reserved  force, 
as  if  work  would  be  done  there,"  and  even  the 
inordinately  rich  Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  hap 
pening  to  hear  at  some  "  tea"  that  Mrs.  Akme 
had  been  there,  descended  from  her  carriage, 
and  as  she  stood  in  the  doorway  of  the  minute 
room,  took  in,  as  she  thought,  the  situation  at  a 
glance,  and  in  her  most  condescending,  patron 
izing  way,  said  to  Mr.  Montague,  "  Although 
I  find  the  room  miserably  small,  it  is,  I  am 
sure,  quite  big  enough  for  you,  and,  Mr.  Monta 
gue,"  she  added,  as  she  sailed  out  in  a  stately 
way,  "  pray  say  to  Mrs.  Akme  that  I,  too,  have 
called,  and  that,  so  far  as  being  your  friend 
goes,  we  are  in  a  rapport'" 

It  was  a  way  Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo  had, 
when  she  wished  to  be  particularly  impressive, 
that  she  always  improvised  scraps  of  bad  French. 

The  truth  is  that  this  worthy  lady's  conver 
sation  was  a  picturesque  bit  of  mosaic  work  of 
modern  Europe;  where,  again  to  use  her  own 
words,  she  "  had  for  several  years  incontinently 


CIIIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  39 

rambled."  It  was  so  good  of  her  at  last  to  come 
home,  and — again  we  quote — "  furbish  up 
Washington  a  bit." 

General  Alibi  had  jauntily  sauntered  in,  and 
Dr.  Mensana  came  to  inspect  the  spot,  and  see 
if  it  "harbored  microbes,"  and  to  suggest 
"  fumigation  as  a  prophylactic." 

Then  a  rich  widow  had  asked  him  to  look 
after  "some  troublesome  complications  that 
pressed  upon  her,  as  she  came  to  Washington  to 
enjoy  society,  and  these  affairs  were  tiresome." 

And  all  this  came  to  pass  before  he  had  had 
time  to  do  more  than  place  two  or  three  chairs, 
a  table,  and  a  hat-rack  in  the  office,  for  while 
lie  was  thinking  about  getting  a  revolving  arm 
chair  and  a  suitable  desk,  he  found  himself  a 
busy  man. 

It  seems  to  be  an  understood  thing,  that  in 
the  beginning  one  must  wait  for  clients,  so  it 
is  pleasant  to  be  able  to  mention  that  in  this 
case,  from  the  very  outset,  clients  waited  for 
Mr.  Lennox  Montague. 

And  this   happened   in  dear,  delightful,  tra- 


40  CHIM 

ditional  Washington,  that  is  ready  to  pin  her 
faith  to  the  representative  of  her  three  past 
generations,  in  case  the  man  himself  is  of  any 
substance  to  pin  onto. 

It  was  cheering  to  see  a  good  name,  a  good 
education,  a  good  head,  and  good  morals  ap 
preciated. 

Almost  at  once  he  had  to  have  a  typewriter, 
and  it  was  refreshing  to  find  a  homely  boy  and 
not  a  pretty  girl  employed  to  fill  that  function. 

Mr.  Lennox  Montague  was  really  wise  be 
yond  his  years. 

The  question  of  a  comfortable  arm-chair  had 
been  satisfactorily  settled,  but  Mr.  Montague 
still  pondered  over  the  more  difficult  problem 
of  a  roomy  revolving  desk. 

Happily,  any  revolver  of  a  dangerous  nature 
was  not  to  be  an  article  of  needed  furniture. 
We  have  outgrown  that  and  the  demijohn  of 
whiskey,  in  the  inventory  of  Washington  of 
fices.  Now  we  have  patent  refrigerators  and 
Potomac'  water-filterers  in  their  places. 

Finally,  all  was  complete  except  that  ample 


CIIIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  41 

old  desk  with  pigeonholes  and  secret  draw 
ers  and  revolving  top  that  shut  down  upon 
its  lore  when  not  needed,  just  as  a  lawyer 
should. 

Such  a  desk  as  was  wanted  had  not  yet  been 
found. 

"  I  tell  you  what,  Montague,"  said  Dr.  Men- 
sana,  whose  specialty  was  giving  advice, 
li  you'll  never  get  a  grandfather's  desk,  except 
at  an  auction  or  at  Zimmerman's." 

"A  hint  to  the  wise"  is  enough,  and  just 
such  a  desk  as  he  had  a  mental  vision  of  was 
purchased  the  very  next  day  at  Latimer's,  hav 
ing  been  shipped  for  sale  by  a  Baltimore  com 
mission  merchant  who  had  sent  word  it  was  an 
heirloom  of  an  old  Virginia  home. 

His  dream  had  at  last  materialized,  and  the 
desk  was  put  in  position  so  that  the  light  from 
the  one  front  window  should  fall  upon  it. 

The  happy  owner  was  arranging  his  files  of 
papers  therein  with  gleeful  contentment,  when 
Mrs.  Akme,  who  had  a  most  friendly  interest 
in  his  success,  came  in  to  ask  him  to  formulate 


42  CHIM 

a  charter  for  a  new  club  for  her,  and  to  consid 
er  it  as  "business." 

"  Give  me  legal  phrasing,  Lennox,"  she  said, 
"  for  I  like  precision." 

But  as  she  spoke  she  stopped,  and,  looking 
at  the  desk  and  then  at  her  young  friend,  who 
was  beaming  with  satisfaction,  she  said: 

"  I  see  you  have  found  a  desk  to  suit  you." 

He  flushed  a  little  as  he  replied: 

"  It  is  really  curious,  my  dear  Mrs.  Akme, 
that  I  should  be  so  elated  over  the  finding  an 
old  piece  of  furniture.  I  know  it's  foolish,  but 
this  quaint  old  desk  stirs  me  as  strangely  as  if 
it  contained  the  family  archives." 

Mrs.  Akme  looked  very  grave  as  she  said  to 
him:  "  Do  not  wonder  at  it.  There  must  be 
a  correlation  of  forces  somewhere:  an  occult 
ism  about  this  seemingly  inanimate  thing  which 
will  probably  at  some  future  period  develop 
into  a  potent  factor  in  your  life  when  least 
looked  for." 

Lennox  Montague,  in  spite  of  himself,  felt 
the  influence  of  these  words  so  earnestly 


CHIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  43 

spoken.  He  had  a  great  respect  for  Mrs.  Akme. 
lie  knew  her  to  be  a  woman  of  a  singularly  pen 
etrating  intelligence  and  of  high  aims.  There 
was  nothing  narrow-minded  about  this  man, 
and  because  he  did  not  happen  to  understand 
a  thing  was  with  him  only  a  reason  for  think 
ing  it  over. 

What  could  she  mean  ?  He  felt  that  the  ex 
planation  would  involve  much  that  did  not 
appear  on  the  surface.  He  now  remembered 
that  when  he  had  last  met  this  lady  she  had 
told  him  that  she  was  "  reaching  a  higher 
plane,  and  daily  becoming  emancipated  from 
prejudice."  So  he  supposed,  which  was  correct, 
that  she  was  applying  new  tests  to  things 
around  her. 

Therefore  he  answered:  "  It  may  well  be 
that  there  is  an  occult  reason  why  I  should  be 
so  in  love  with  my  desk.  Now,  if  indeed  it  was 
a  beautiful  young  lady  the  occultism  would  be- 
readily  understood." 

And  he  laughed. 

Mrs.  Akme  smiled  and   said:     "  That's  just 


44  CHIM 

it,  Lennox  —  allow  me  to  call  you  by  your 
mother's  name,  for  I  loved  her  well.  Ysoldc 
Lennox  was  a  woman  to  love." 

"Ah,  do,  do  call  me  Lennox,"  he  said,  ear 
nestly,  his  emotional  face  full  of  feeling. 

"  Well,  my  dear  Lennox,  as  I  said,  how  do 
you  know  but  that  this  desk  that  moves  you 
now  so  strangely  may  in  some  way  be  connect 
ed  with  a  charming  girl  who  will  one  day  make 
you  happy  ?  " 

"The  suggestion  is  delightfully  romantic," 
said  he.  "  I  shall  hug  my  fancy  the  closer 
and  sigh  for  future  developments." 

"  Do  not  be  impatient,"  she  said,  calmly. 
"  Through  repose  of  soul  we  unravel  myste 
ries.  Happiness  is  relative;  it  is  alone  found 
by  the  wise." 

Again  Lennox  looked  puzzled.  Mrs.  Akme 
caught  his  expression,  and  knew  that  he  was 
mystified. 

"I  perceive,"  she  said,  "that  you  do  not 
understand  me.  Come  to  the  society  that 
meets  once  a  month  at  my  house,  and  the 


CHIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  45 

wisdom-religion  will  make  itself  more  man 
ifest." 

"  Thanks,  dear  Mrs.  Akme,  for  the  privilege. 
May  I  ask  if  your  society  has  a  name  ?  " 

"  As  to  that  we  are  as  yet  undecided,"  she 
replied.  "  It  is  truth  we  seek,  and  all  ways 
are  alike  to  us  that  lead  to  this  end.  We 
ventilate  our  theories  without  restriction,  and 
out  of  this  mind  attrition  we  expect  to  evolve 
light." 

"Why,"  said  Lennox,  startled  by  what  was 
to  him  a  new  idea,  "the  casting  off  of  mind 
trammels  is  the  dawning  of  a  new  era." 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  she  said  eagerly. 
"Only  think  of  the  freedom.  Each  one  may 
proclaim  his  own  theory.  There  is  no  limit. 
For  instance,  I  myself  have  been  led  into  a 
train  of  speculative  thought,  connected  with 
theosophy.  In  fact  I  am  philosophically  led 
to  believe  that  the  canine  race  marks  the  real 
progress  of  civilization." 

"  The  canine  race  !  "  exclaimed  Lennox,  in 
undisguised  amazement. 


46  CHIM 

"  It  may  seem  absurd,"  replied  Mrs.  Akme 
calmly,  "and  this  is  not  the  place  or  time  to 
defend  a  thesis.  Nevertheless  my  theory  may 
be  logically  defended.  You  see  at  once, 
Lennox,  one  of  the  uses  of  our  society.  We 
sift  all  things.  It  is  the  alembic  through 
which  we  filter  truth.  But  your  morning  hours 
must  be  given  to  business,  not  philosophy.  So 
for  the  nonce  good-bye." 

Really  Lennox  Montague  had  a  half  head 
ache  as  he  saw  her  graceful  retreating  form 
finally  disappear  from  view,  as  she  sank 
back  amid  the  cushions  of  her  luxurious  car 
riage,  and  drove  off. 

He  felt  as  if  he  were  living  in  a  nondescript 
age,  that  was,  perchance,  about  to  be  hurled 
into  chaos,  with  all  the  old  moorings  cast  off, 
and  the  world  afloat  without  foothold,  as  was 
Noah's  ark. 

Lennox  Montague's  mother  had  been  a 
Catholic,  and  although  at  her  untimely  death 
his  tender  years  had  left  him  uninstructed  in 
her  faith,  yet  he  had  always  rested  in  the  con- 


CHIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  47 

viction  that  she  was  right,  without  indeed 
knowing  anything  about  it,  more  than  the 
general  idea,  that  truth  must  rest  in  unity,  and 
could  not  be  hydra-headed,  and  speak  with  a 
confusion  of  tongues. 

In  the  midst  of  this  painful  revery,  he  me 
chanically  seated  himself  at  the  magnetic 
desk,  which  had  in  a  certain  way  given  rise  to 
a  conversation  fraught  with  somewhat  indis 
tinct  recollections  of  his  mother. 

Never  before  had  such  a  yearning  to  receive 
her  blessing  filled  his  soul,  and  as  he  buried 
his  face  in  his  hands,  she  seemed  to  stand  be 
side  him  as  his  guardian  angel,  and  without 
her  loving  care  the  world  was  very  lonely  and 
empty. 

But  at  noonday  in  a  business  office  on  F 
street,  the  hour  and  place  are  totally  unsuited 
for  other  than  matter-of-fact  routine,  and  so, 
indeed,  he  was  presently  recalled  to  himself  by 
the  somewhat  jarring  strains  of  a  hurdy-gurdy, 
turning  off  a  lively  tune,  which  was  accom 
panied  by  the  alternate  chirping,  whistling, 


48  CHIM 

and  singing  of  an  odd  little  old  man,  who  ap 
peared  heartily  to  enjoy  his  Bohemian  mode 
of  life. 

His  involuntary,  meditative  mood,  being  thus 
rudely  broken  in  upon,  he  got  up  and  stood  at 
the  window,  looking  out  at  first  in  an  absent- 
minded  way. 

But  his  attention  was  speedily  arrested  by 
the  strange  antics  of  the  thick-set,  white-hair 
ed,  \vhite-bearded,  and  precise  figure,  who 
had  the  solemn  air  of  a  Turkish  dervish,  and 
yet  cut  the  most  absurd  prim  pirouettes,  to 
mark  each  musical  roulade  of  his  organ. 

The  stolid  face  of  the  slovenly  boy  who 
turned  the  crank,  and  stood  as  unmoved  and 
seemingly  as  uninterested  as  if  he  were  throw 
ing  potatoes  in  a  vegetable  bin,  or  doing  any 
other  merely  mechanical  work,  was  in  sharp 
contrast  with  the  comical  whirling  of  the 
dancer. 

It  is  surprising  how  very  quickly  a  crowd 
gathers  in  a  city,  for  almost  in  the  time  it  takes 
to  tell  it,  the  trio  were  surrounded,  the  third 


CHIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  49 

performer  being  a  wee  dog1,  who  might  have 
been  a  monkey,  so  nimble  were  his  movements 
as  he  carried  around  in  his  teeth  a  basket,  into 
which  jingling  pennies  were  thrown. 

As  each  coin  rattled  in,  the  queer  creature 
made  an  inclination  of  his  woolly  head  meant  as 
a  bow,  and  hugely  appreciated  by  his  audience, 
who  greeted  them  with  shouts  of  laughter. 

The  intelligent  canine  understood  and  was 
exhilarated  by  the  wild  applause  as  a  human 
being  might  have  been,  and  when  his  master 
said  to  him  in  broken  English — "  Cheem  zay 
yees,  I  give  Cheem  dis " — holding  up  a  dry 
mouldy-looking  biscuit,  the  wretched  puppy, 
evidently  hungry,  or  kept  so  to  better  enact 
this  tour-de-force  >  leaped  for  it,  making  leap 
after  leap,  barking  a  chorus  of  distinctly  en 
unciated  "  yes,  yes,  yes." 

A  street  crowd,  after  all,  is  a  critical  audience, 
and  detects  shams  more  readily  than  a  fashion 
able  crush,  and  this  was  a  genuine  novelty, 
and  no  mistake,  and  was  greeted  by  clapping 
of  hands,  and  cries  of  "  Bully  for  you  !" 


50  CHIM 

"  It's  a  comfort,"  thought  Lennox  Montague, 
"that  the  masses  know  a  good  thing  when 
they  see  it,  and  have  none  of  the  hateful  nil 
adniirarc  about  them  of  the  world  of  fashion;" 
and  so  thinking  he  clapped  too,  observing 
which  the  curious  little  old  man,  very  ungrate 
fully  breaking  through  the  admiring  circle 
around  him,  commenced  a  special  series  of 
capers  under  the  window  for  the  young  law 
yer's  particular  benefit. 

Both  master  and  dog  knew  assuredly  that 
they  were  now  performing  for  a  trained  eye, 
and  they  both  did  their  very  best  for  their 
selected  critic. 

"The  old  man,"  thought  he,  "is  equal  to  a 
whole  curiosity  shop,  but  the  being  he  calls 
'  Cheem  '  half  mesmerizes  me  ;  he  is  positively 
weird."  The  dog,  as  if  divining  his  thought, 
stopped  an  instant,  and  gazed  at  him  in  a 
yearning,  wistful  way  with  his  wonderful  wade- 
open  eyes,  and  it  did  look  as  if  tears  filled 
them.  So  might  an  enchained  captive  implore 
from  his  prison-barred  window  to  the  passer-by. 


CHIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  51 

"  Ah,"  thought  the  youth,  "  the  appeal  is  all  the 
stronger  because  it  is  unite.  Anyhow,  I  can't 
stand  that  sort  of  look,"  and  suddenly  he  re 
membered  the  original  remark  of  Mrs.  Akme 
about  the  canine  race,  that  had  led  to  their 
strange  conversation  that  very  morning  and 
induced  his  recent  meditation,  which  was  in 
terrupted  by  this  very  dog. 

The  concatenation  of  circumstances  struck 
him  as  uncommon,  and  he  suddenly  decided 
to  try  and  secure  this  surprising  "canine,"  as 
a  present  to  his  mother's  friend. 

Acting  upon  this  impulse  he  beckoned  to 
the  pair  to  come  in,  which  they  instantly  did. 

If  one  wishes  to  see  an  "allegro"  in  celerity 
of  movement,  just  try  asking  a  street  beggar 
or  a  hurdy-gurdy  man,  or  a  scissors-grinder  to 
walk  in.  Their  breezy  mode  of  entrance  puts 
to  shame  the  tired,  blase  QZ\\,  of  the  pleasure- 
seeker.  There  are  so  many  novel  sensations 
one  never  gets  because  one  plods  on  in  the 
old  ruts  !  And  so  one  makes  life  stupid,  be 
cause  one  is  selfish. 


52  CIIIM 

"  Gooda  day,"  said  the  Italian,  as  he  stood 
bowing  very  low. 

"All  right,"  said  Lennox  Montague,  drily, 
as  much  as  to  say  to  the  quaint  object  before 
him,  "  Listen  to  me  and  keep  quiet." 

The  tone  told  on  master  and  dog,  and  they 
both  stood  perfectly  still. 

"Tell  me,  fellow,"  said  he,  "how  much  do 
you  ask  for  your  clog  ?  of  course  you  will  sell 
him  ? " 

"  Per  monish,  yees,"  answered  the  organ- 
grinder  with  a  scraping  bow,  "  Cheem  one 
vara,  buen'  cagnolino." 

"Well,  if  I  buy  this  dog  you  call  '  Checm,' 
how  much  ?  Be  quick  about  it — I'm  in  a  hurry." 

The  man  looking  quite  unconcerned,  said, 
"  Feefty  dollare." 

"  Nonsense,"  said  Lennox;  "where  did  you 
get  him,  anyhow  ?  " 

The  thrust  some  way  went  home,  for  there 
was  a  slight  wincing,  which  the  quick  eye  of 
the  young  attorney  noticed,  as  he  added,  "  Is 
he  yours  to  sell  ?  " 


CIIIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  53 

"  Durty  dollare,"  was  the  dogged  reply. 

"Not  at  all,"  replied  Lennox.  "  Is  he  yours, 
I  say  ? " 

"  Den  ten  dollare,"  was  the  sulky  answer. 

"  Here  it  is,"  said  Lennox  Montague,  hand 
ing  this  true  specimen  of  the  conscienceless 
lazzaroni  the  money. 

"  Bcnc,  bene"  he  said,  chuckling,  and  thrust 
ing  the  price  of  "  Cheem  "  deep  down  in  his 
pocket,  walked  out,  whistling,  without  a  word 
or  even  a  parting  glance  at  the  dog. 

"  Why  has  he  sold  his  performing  dog  so 
cheap  ?  "  thought  Lennox ;  "  evidently  he  wish 
ed  to  escape  detection  in  some  way,  or  I'm  no 
judge  of  human  nature,  or  lawyer  either." 
And  the  dog  !  He  certainly  bore  no  love  for 
his  master,  and  if  ever  actions  which  "speak 
louder  than  words,"  meant  anything,  the  des 
perate  joy  of  the  poor  little  skye-terrier  said, 
"  I  am  saved." 

During  the  bargaining  for  the  price  set  upon 
his  curly  head,  he  had  looked  from  one  to  the 
other  with  wistful  earnestness,  and  when  finally 


54  CHIM 

the  man  disappeared,  his  ecstasy  knew  no 
bounds.  He  crouched  at  the  feet  of  his  new 
master,  and  laid  his  head  caressingly  against 
him. 

For  the  first  time  Lennox  then  perceived  a 
dainty  collar  around  the  creature's  neck.  It 
had  been  covered  over  by  masses  of  long  hair 
pulled  down.  And  on  this  collar  was  engraved 


"As  I  supposed,"  thought  Lennox,  "the 
terrier  was  picked  up.  He  is  some  fair  dam 
sel's  pet,  who  doubtless  is  inconsolable  with 
out  him." 

"  Well,  Chim,  you  shall  have  a  good  mis 
tress  until  the  lost  one  is  found." 

At  5  o'clock  that  afternoon  Lennox  Monta 
gue  sent  up  his  card  to  Mrs.  Akme,  who  was 
sipping  a  cup  of  tea,  meditatively,  beside  a 
glowing  samovar. 

He  had  had  Chim  carefully  dressed  for  the 
visit  ;  that  is,  lie  had  hired  a  barber  to  have 
the  clog  properly  bathed,  combed,  curled, 
cleansed,  and  perfumed. 


CHIM    ARRIVES   IN   WASHINGTON  55 

So  Chim  was  as  presentable  as  any  well- 
bred  puppy  could  be  made,  and  feeling  very 
lively  in  consequence  of  the  needed  ablutions, 
when  he  made  his  bow  to  Mrs.  Akme.  A  so 
ciety  training  is  invaluable,  and  Chim  was  at 
last  and  again  in  his  proper  sphere.  He  at 
once  put  on  his  company  manners,  and  when 
Lennox  Montague  quietly  introduced  him  as 
"  Mr.  Chim,  just  arrived  from  the  celestials," 
the  well-bred  darling  made  a  very  graceful 
bow. 

"  The  best  bow-wow  I  have  ever  seen,"  said 
Lennox  laughing,  but  his  smile  died  away  to 
an  expression  of  dazed  wonder,  when  Mr. 
Chim,  scenting  the  well -loved  beverage  to 
which  he  had  been  accustomed  at  that  very 
hour,  quietly  leaped  into  an  arm-chair  beside 
Mrs.  Akme,  and  posing  upon  his  hind  legs 
extended  his  forepaws,  and,  taking  hold  of  her 
cup  carefully,  drained  it  daintily  to  the  last 
drop. 

Mrs.  Akme  turned  deathly  pale,  and  Lennox 
Montague  sprang  to  his  feet,  fearing  she  was 


56  CHIM 

about  to  faint — but  in  a  moment  recovering 
herself,  she  embraced  Chim  lovingly,  exclaim 
ing,  "  Is  this  a  waking  vision  ?  Have  I  indeed 
found  the  connecting  link  ?  " 


CHAPTER   III 

INCIDENTAL    TO    CHIM 

BUNCOMBE  HEREFORD  belonged  to  an  old 
Virginia  family,  and  that  was  the  best  there 
was  about  him.  Detached  from  his  ancestry, 
he  was  essentially  a  man  to  be  avoided,  but 
unfortunately,  when  in  the  general  plan  the 
current  of  his  life  ran  counter  to  the  specific 
object  he  had  in  view,  and  any  unlucky  wight 
got  caught  in  the  glittering  meshes  of  his 
frauds,  there  was  not  much  left  of  his  victim 
by  the  time  this  bloated  spider  relaxed  his 
hold.  Yet  his  webs  were  mathematically 
spun  in  the  sunshine,  athwart  the  highways, 
and  were  very  fair  to  see,  and  being  held  legal 
ly,  one  could  not  escape  their  toils  without 
inanition  and  complete  exhaustion.  When  he 
made  ready  to  spring  upon  an  object,  fastening 

57 


53 

down  upon  him,  and  closing  in  the  transaction, 
the  wretch  was  inevitably  ruined.  But  while 
his  small  dealings  kept  him  well  in  practice, 
and  had,  by  their  uniform  success,  enlarged  his 
perceptions  of  the  possible,  yet  these  attempts 
were  as  mere  by-play  compared  with  the  dar 
ing  of  his  big  deals.  He  was  a  ruthless  finan 
cial  Napoleon,  a  scourge,  as  have  been  some 
generals  called  great,  who  strode  onward  to 
their  goal  over  the  trampled  dying  and  dead. 

Several  of  his  operations  bordered  or,  the 
marvelous,  for  he  had  mastered  the  art  Oi  fi 
nancial  levitation,  or  walking  upon  air,  know 
ing,  as  well  as  Simon  Magus  did,  how  to  hold 
himself  up  on  nothing,  or  perchance  he  worked 
his  marvels  by  producing  an  hypnotic  effect  on 
other  minds. 

It  is  said  that  he  commenced  his  astounding 
career  by  having  an  entire  paper  town  laid 
out,  buying  the  land  he  speculated  with,  not, 
as  stupidly  honest  people  might  imagine,  with 
money,  but  giving  his  notes  therefor,  these  bits 
of  paper  secured  by  a  deed  of  trust  on  the  land, 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CHIM  59 

with  a  small  cash  payment  to  confirm  contract, 
borrowed  from  a  friend.  Then  he  had  a  really 
excellent  picture  made,  paying  the  artist  with 
one  of  his  worthless  notes,  of  a  flourishing 
manufacturing  town,  with  volumes  of  dense- 
smoke  issuing  from  the  tall  tops  of  many  fac 
tory  chimneys,  and  there  was  a  vista  of  a  fine 
water  power,  hinting  at  limitless  capabilities 
in  that  direction.  It  is  surprising  how  many 
people  like  attractive  pictures  and  Quixotic 
windmills,  and  all  such  investments  !  Then, 
with  the  rapidity  of  an  able  commander,  turn 
ing  the  enemy's  flank  when  he  foresaw  that  the 
inevitable  collapse  must  come,  he  hastened  to 
scoop  in  the  thousands  invested  upon  his  repre 
sentations,  let  the  trust  deeds  revert  the  land 
to  their  owners,  and  promptly  took  advantage 
of  the  bankrupt  law. 

Under  this  protecting  ajgis  he  rested  and 
recruited,  meantime  manipulating  the  gullibil 
ity  of  those  who  seek  rapid  methods  of  getting 
rich,  and  when  the  time  had  come,  got  himself 
elected  president  of  a  syndicate  for  the  build- 


60  CHIM 

ing  of  an  air-line  railroad,  to  be  run  by  a  motor 
upon  a  new  principle. 

Having  had  some  experience  regarding  the 
stability  of  real  estate,  his  first  aim,  before  the 
road  was  built,  was  to  buy  up  all  the  land  at  a 
low  figure,  adjacent  to  the  proposed  route  ; 
again  his  notes  were  issued  in  payment,  but 
being  backed  by  a  syndicate,  this  little  affair 
was  readily  managed. 

It  is  amazing  what  power  this  cabalistic 
word  "  syndicate  "  has.  One  would  suppose  it 
was  the  initiation  pass-word  of  a  terrible,  oath- 
bound  secret  society. 

It  really  is  a  hideous  car  of  Juggernaut  that 
rolls  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land, 
with  that  vacuum  inside  that  nature  abhors, 
and  its  relentless,  sharp  -  edged  scythes  of 
wheels  cut  a  clean  wide  swath  of  desolation. 

Mr.  Buncombe  Hereford  had  now  become 
this  mysterious  Adonhiram,  with  the  secret 
symbols. 

His  fiat  went  forth  that  the  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  acres  of  worthless  land  that  bor- 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CHIM  6l 

dered  upon  his  imaginary  air-lines,  were  inex 
haustible  mineral  lands,  worth  at  a  low  figure 
a  thousand  dollars  an  acre,  and  the  endless 
thousands  of  American  dollars  were  paid  for 
them. 

At  this  opportune  moment,  he  deserted  bod 
ily,  bag  and  baggage,  to  a  real  built  railroad 
company,  that,  getting  frightened  at  the  clam 
or  of  the  air-line,  bribed  Mr.  Buncombe  Here 
ford  by  the  offer  of  its  presidency. 

The  astute  managers  of  this  rival  road  ig 
nored  the  risk  of  installing  a  traitor  over  their 
company,  being  more  than  pleased  at  the  boom 
given  their  stock  by  the  crash  of  the  so-called 
syndicate. 

The  retiring  president  kicked  the  bucket  of 
the  syndicate  that  had  brought  him  up  out  of 
his  hole  back  again  to  the  bottom  of  the  well, 
and  at  last,  with  real  millions  in  his  coffers,  be 
came  a  distinguished  citizen — a  punctilious, 
church-going,  phylacteried  Pharisee  ! 

Any  villain,  be  he  behind  prison  bars  in  this 
world,  or  fallen  into  the  bottomless  pit  of  the 


62  CHIM 

next,  is  disagreeable  to  contemplate,  but  not 
so  exasperating  as  when  he  swings  aloft,  astride 
his  beam  of  success,  having  secured  a  tight 
grip  on  the  good  things  of  this  world,  as  had 
Mr.  Buncombe  Hereford.  However,  there  is 
always  a  limit  to  the  finite,  and  no  one  could 
insure  him  against  renewed  insolvency  in  the 
future.  But  we  have  now  explained  far  enough 
to  be  ready  to  observe  that  everything  in  this 
narrative  must  be  subordinated  to  Chim,  and 
that  if  we  have,  with  perhaps  tiresome  minute 
ness,  hinted  at  the  colossal  manipulations  of 
Mr.  Buncombe  Hereford,  it  is  because  of  their 
being  of  some  interest  to  us,  as  incidental  to 
the  dog.  Otherwise  it  would  be  quite  unpar 
donable  to  introduce  such  a  monstrous  sham 
into  these  pages. 

Now  about  the  time  that  Chim  arrived  in 
Washington,  trotting  along  on  his  little  four 
legs,  or  the  proverbial  "shank's  mare,"  behind 
a  hurdy-gurdy,  our  very  successful  ex-syndi 
cate,  now  railroad,  president,  arrived  in  a  lux 
urious  special  car.  He  came  in  solitary  state, 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CIIIM  63 

inasmuch  as  poor  Mrs.  Hereford  had  been,  so 
it  was  whispered,  confined  in  a  lunatic  asylum 
for  several  years. 

It  was  openly  said  that  our  magnate  might, 
at  any  time  that  he  so  wished  it,  easily  procure 
a  divorce  on  the  ground  of  wilful  desertion.  But 
then,  he  was  so  chivalric,  and  she,  only  a  woman! 

For  some  time  previous  to  his  coming,  the 
principal  real  estate  agents  of  Washington  had 
been  looking  for  a  very  big  house,  for  this  very 
big  man,  who  had  bottled  up  a  very  big  plan 
to  help  the  government  of  the  United  States 
of  America  build  an  elevated  rapid -transit 
railroad  that  was  to  make  a  direct  run  to  Du- 
luth.  Of  course  it  would  be  nothing  to  Croesus, 
but  it  might  be  very  much  to  the  North  Amer 
ican  continent. 

It  was  a  merciful  thing  that  the  hypnotic 
spell  he  exercised  did  not  cause  the  White 
House  to  be  offered  for  his  occupancy. 

With  coy  coquetry  and  sensational  acumen, 
this  magnificent  showman  did  not  put  in  an 
appearance  during  the  initial  proceedings  of 


64  CHIM 

the  early  winter,  but  he  waited  until  the  so- 
called  "  season,"  congressional  and  social,  was 
fairly  under  way.  But  with  the  onrush  of  the 
New  Year,  he  arrived. 

It  is  perhaps  mortifying  to  have  to  say  so, 
but  Washington  is  merely  beginning  to  build 
palatial  homes,  and  the  only  furnished  house 
that  could  be  procured  was,  of  course,  very 
inadequate  in  many  ways,  although  in  some 
respects  it  suited  very  well,  for,  as  we  at  first 
mentioned,  this  chevalier  d' Industrie,  if  one  may 
be  allowed  to  hint  plainly,  was  a  real  born 
cavalier. 

Being  thus  to  the  manor  born,  he  knew  that 
the  best  way  to  entertain  was  the  exclusive,  or 
dinner-giving  method,  and  that  the  mahogany 
round  which  he  would  place  his  guests  must 
be  old,  the  pictures  on  his  walls  must  be  of  ex 
ceptional  merit,  and  have  an  actual  or  an  in 
vented  history.  The  china  and  glass  must 
have  been  well  cared  for  by  successive  gener 
ations  of  butlers,  and  the  wines  must  have  the 
aroma  of  choice  old  vintages. 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CIIIM  65 

He  knew  very  well  that  there  was  a  magnetic 
effect  in  the  antique, skillfully  manipulated,  that 
could  be  effectively  applied  whenever  he  was 
ready  to  pull  the  wires  and  set  his  mannikins 
to  work. 

Thus  bent  on  making  use  of  family  prestige, 
he  remembered  that  in  a  certain  spacious 
home  that  he  had  wrested  from  a  widowed 
cousin,  through  some  hocus-pocus  of  a  tax  sale, 
orpretencled  sale,  there  was  precious  store  of 
carved  and  chippendale  furniture,  some  fine 
paintings,  old  bronzes,  china  and  glass  dec 
orated  and  engraved  with  the  family  crest,  and 
rare  wines.  He  had  written  an  order  to  have 
various  of  these  evidences  of  former  grandeur 
shipped  on  to  Washington,  and  placed  in  the 
house  he  had  taken  there. 

Now,  unscrupulous  men  are  very  apt  to  have 
faithless  menials  to  do  their  bidding,  and  the 
fellow  in  charge  of  this  fine  old  place,  who 
was  underpaid  anyhow,  had,  after  a  logic  his 
employer  would  have  perfectly  understood, 
indulged  now  and  then  in  selling  to  curiosity 


66  CHIM 

dealers  such  pieces  of  furniture  as  could  be 
conveniently  packed  and  sent  away. 

The  creature  satisfying  his  conscience  by  the 
reflection  that  he  was  thus  making  his  own  pay 
about  what  it  ought  to  be. 

He  had  only  recently  sent  a  very  curious  old 
desk  up  to  Baltimore  that  had  been  used  by  a 
former  proprietor  for  his  private  papers,  where 
its  sale  brought  him  quite  a  handsome  sum. 
But,  happily  for  him,  Mr.  Buncombe  Hereford 
only  gave  a  general  order,  and,  in  fact  his  rec 
ollection  of  his  uncle's  old  house  dated  back 
to  his  early  childhood,  when  he  on  several  oc 
casions  had  gone  there  with  his  mother,  who 
was  an  only  sister  of  the  proprietor. 

He  had  therefore  a  very  indistinct  remem 
brance  of  any  particular  pieces,  which  was  a 
lucky  circumstance  for  his  dishonest  agent. 

As  it  was,  there  was  quite  as  much  shipped 
as  was  needed  for  the  already  furnished  Wash 
ington  house,  in  order  to  produce  the  desired 
effect. 

It  seems    very  inappropriate,  when  writing 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CHIM  67 

about  this  supposed-to-be-many-times-a-mil- 
lionaire,  to  mention  these  little  things,  and  we 
have  only  done  so  by  explaining  that  these 
arrangements  were  simply  as  means  to  an 
end. 

Having  thus  pleasantly  domiciled  Mr.  Bun 
combe  Hereford,  whose  expected  arrival  had 
produced  no  little  commotion  in  certain  quar 
ters,  one  must  for  the  present  leave  him  and 
those  who  were  interested  in  him  and  his 
movements. 

Miss  Featherweight,  for  instance,  was  always 
on  the  qui  vive  for  distinguished  arrivals.  Also 
Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  who  had  not  breathed 
the  rarefied  air  of  upper-tendom  long  enough 
to  escape,  on  a  trying  occasion  like  this,  heart 
flutter  and  brain  muddle. 

This  lady  had  for  so  many  years  of  her  early 
life  been  subjected  to  the  penetrating  odors  of 
boiled  cabbage  and  stewed  onions,  that  she 
never  could  exactly  tone  down  to  the  mild 
fragrance  of  the  violet,  or  the  delicate  bouquet 
of  some  rare  vintage.  Her  trouble  was  what 


68  CHIM 

the  philosophers  would  denominate  "  a  want 
of  adaptation." 

It  is  a  queer  thing  how  each  poor  mortal 
makes  a  voodoo  of  what  he  or  she  don't  un 
derstand,  and  we  all  stand  quaking  under  the 
shadows  of  our  own  fetich. 

Let  us  pray  for  strength  to  come  boldly  out 
into  God's  glorious  sunlight,  so  as  to  see  things 
as  they  are.  Then  we  could  lay  aside  our  inch- 
worm  measure. 

We  left  the  lovely  Alma  Aylwyn  disconso 
late  and  lachrymose  over  the  mysterious  dis 
appearance  of  her  dog.  The  human  heart  is 
so  constituted  that  just  in  proportion  as  one  is 
poor  and  lonely  the  affections  cling  all  the 
more  closely  to  whatever  of  comfort  remains. 

Thus  Alma,  who  was  quite  alone  in  the 
world,  had  lost  a  loving  friend  in  Chim. 

There  was  much  sympathy  expressed  and 
felt  for  her  loss,  and  there  were  various  con 
jectures  as  to  what  could  have  become  of  the 
wonderful  skye-terrier. 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CHIM  69 

Some  boys — for  boys  see  everything  —  re 
membered  to  have  noticed  an  organ-grinder 
pass  through  town,  and  go  away  on  the  na 
tional  road  that  day,  but  no  one  could  aver 
that  he  had  a  dog  with  him. 

Certainly  his  loss  left  a  sad  blank  in  Alma's 
life,  and  some  months  wore  away  heavily 
enough  as  the  summer  faded  into  autumn. 

There  is  a  proverb,  "  It  never  rains  but  it 
pours,"  although  why  such  an  untruth  as  to  the 
physical  world  should  be  proverbial  is  strange. 

But  as  applied  to  that  grouping  of  events 
that  forms  the  thread  of  human  destiny,  it  is 
more  apt  to  be  true. 

So  it  came  to  pass  with  Alma  that,  in  the 
midst  of  her  mourning  for  Chim,  she  was  told 
that  after  the  Christmas  holidays — that  is,  at 
the  close  of  the  term — two  of  her  best  scholars 
would  leave  town;  and  while  she  was  much 
worried  at  the  loss  of  pupils  who  greatly  inter 
ested  her,  and  also  at  the  serious  diminution  of 
her  means  of  support,  she  received  a  short, 
curt  letter  from  her  only  relative. 


/O  CHIM 

This  relative  was  the  cousin  who  had,  as  he 
told  them,  paid  their  debts,  and  taken  her  moth 
er's  home  as  payment,  and  who  had,  besides  this 
considerate  act,  borne  the  expenses  of  her  edu 
cation  at  school  after  her  mother's  death,  until 
she  was  sufficiently  instructed  to  teach. 

Although,  since  leaving  school  she  had  not 
received  any  direct  aid  from  this  relative,  yet 
she  always  had  the  feeling  that  if  the  worst 
came  to  the  worst  she  might  apply  to  him;  and 
to  know  that  one  has  a  staff  to  lean  upon  is 
restful,  even  if  one  never  leans. 

But  this  harsh  letter  rudely  dispelled  all  illu 
sions  in  that  direction. 

It  was  written  by  the  secretary  of  this  un 
feeling  man,  and  simply  had  his  signature  at 
tached,  which  made  it  all  the  more  cutting. 

In  it  he  informed  her  that,  understanding 
she  was  now  prepared  to  support  herself  in 
consequence  of  the  musical  education  he  had 
so  generously  given  her,  she  must  no  longer  ex 
pect  a  continuance  of  his  charity,  but  must  in 
future  become  self-reliant  and  self-supporting. 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CHIM  71 

This  was  the  substance  of  this  unkind  missive, 
which  closed  with  a  formal  "  truly  yours."  Ah, 
how  cruel,  how  unfeeling,  how  heartless  ! 

And  it  was  most  galling  for  a  high-spirited 
girl  to  be  so  rudely  reminded  that  she  had  been 
an  object  of  charity. 

Yet  this  exasperating  letter  had  this  good  ef 
fect,  that  it  caused  Alma  to  take  a  very  serious 
and  careful  review  of  the  situation  in  which 
she  was  placed,  and  to  weigh  all  the  conditions 
of  her  position. 

The  result  was  so  discouraging  that  she  felt 
she  must  take  counsel  of  some  one  more  expe 
rienced  than  herself. 

In  the  midst  of  this  painful  perplexity  she 
suddenly  recollected  a  benevolent  old  gentle 
man  who  had  at  one  time  filled  a  conspicuous 
position  for  his  country,  but  had  now  retired 
from  active  political  life. 

She  recalled  how  kindly  he  had  once  spoken 
to  her,  and  told  her  that  when  he  was  in  Wash 
ington  city  he  had,  a  score  of  years  before,  on 
several  occasions  met  her  honored  grandfather. 


72  CIIIM 

At  the  time  she  thought  with  a  heartache 
how  that  word  "  honored,"  applied  to  her 
grandfather  by  one  who  had  himself  held  po 
sitions  of  trust  creditably,  would  have  pleased 
her  dearest  mother.  Oh,  how  little  a  word  is, 
and  yet  how  much  ! 

No  sooner  had  all  this  come  to  her  mind 
than  she  reproached  herself  not  to  have  paid 
her  respects  to  this  excellent  man  before,  and 
she  at  once  decided  to  take  counsel  of  him. 

Just  here  it  must  be  observed  how  constant 
ly  it  occurs  in  life  that  all  the  best  things  we 
do,  and  the  things  most  fruitful  of  good  re 
sults,  are  not  of  our  own  planning  in  any  way, 
but  are  sure  to  come  to  us  when  needed.  This 
takes  place  because  we  are  in  God's  hands,  and 
there  is  His  Providence  that  arranges  for  us. 

Certainly  Alma's  visit  to  this  philanthropist 
was  timely. 

She  was  well  received,  her  little  story  list 
ened  to  with  attention,  and  the  letter  read  by 
him  with  indignation. 

The  name  of  this  unfeeling  cousin  was  not 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CHIM  73 

unknown  to  him,  and  he  sat  for  some  time,  ev 
idently  thinking  the  matter  over. 

"  I  cannot  understand,  Miss  Aylwyn,"  said 
he  very  kindly,  "  how  your  mother  could  have 
so  entirely  lost  what  must  have  been  a  very 
handsome  estate  inherited  from  her  father. 
It  was  always  understood  that  your  grand 
father  -was  a  wealthy  man." 

"Ah,  no  !  "  sighed  Alma. 

"  And  you  tell  me  that  your  mother  died 
poor,  that  this  cousin  has  educated  you,  and 
that  now,  through  his  heartless  desertion,  you 
are  absolutely  dependent  on  your  own  efforts 
for  daily  bread  ? — it  seems  incredible." 

Alma's  tears,  which,  at  this  recapitulation  of 
her  sad  fate,  she  could  not  restrain,  were  her 
sole  answer. 

"  Oh,  I  beg  of  you,  dear  Miss  Aylwyn,  don't 
cry,"  said  he  hurriedly;  "  I  know  it  will  happen 
so,  that  women  are  left  poor,  and  do  really 
lose  everything.  And  yet,"  he  added,  "  this 
ought  not  to  happen,  nor  does  it  often  happen 
without  their  being  cheated — 


74  CHIM 

"  Oh,  pray,  sir,"  interrupted  Alma,  "don't 
say  that !  There  was  no  one  who  would  have 
cheated  us,  I  assure  you." 

"  Yet,"  said  the  old  gentleman  with  a  slight 
elevation  of  his  shaggy  eyebrows,  "you  have 
this  cousin,  who  is  very  rich." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  Alma;  "  but  only  see  how 
good  he  was  to  us." 

"I  see,"  said  he,  sarcastically;  "very  kind; 
shows  his  big  heart  in  this  letter.  Eh  ? " 

Alma  again  cried,  for  the  letter  had  nearly 
broken  her  heart. 

"Oh,  don't,  don't  cry!"  begged  he  ner 
vously.  "  I  really  can't  think,  if  you  will  cry. 
Nothing  upsets  me  like  a  woman's  tears." 

"Pardon  me,"  said  Alma,  half  smiling 
through  her  tears;  "  I  am  so  sorry  to  distress 
you." 

"  All  right,"  said  he;  "  now  be  a  brave  girl, 
and,  take  my  word  for  it,  things  will  come 
round  just  as  they  ought  to  be,  sooner  than  you 
think  for.  I'm  no  longer  young,  and  I've  often 
seen  this  sort  of  thing  happen." 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CHIM  75 

"  Oh,"  said  Alma,  "just  the  kind  words  com 
fort  me  so  !  " 

"Never  mind,"  said  he.  "There  now,  al 
ready  I  have  a  bright  thought  for  you.  You 
shall  go  right  on  to  Washington  City." 

"  To  Washington  City  !  "  she  exclaimed  in  a 
tone  of  such  blank  amazement,  that  the  next 
moment  they  both  laughed. 

"  Yes,  to  Washington  City,"  he  repeated. 
"  You  see,  I  have  been  retired  from  public  life 
these  many  years,  for  I'm  no  longer  exactly  a 
young  man." 

"Men,"  thought  Alma,  "must  be  more  ner 
vous  about  their  ages  than  women;  if  I  were 
as  old  as  he  is,  I  think  I  would  just  say  I'm 
old." 

"  But,"  he  added,  "  I  certainly  have  influence 
enough  left  to  set  afloat  into  smooth  seas  such 
a  small  craft  as  you  are,  and  one  so  trim." 

"  How  nice  he  is  !  "  thought  she. 

"  My  idea  is  this,"  he  continued;  "  you  must 
get  a  clerkship  under  the  Government.  You 
are,  in  a  way,  entitled  to  ask  it,  for  your  re- 


76  CHIM 

spected  grandfather  was  well  known  as  a  pub 
lic-spirited,  patriotic  man.  Go,  pack  your 
trunk,  my  dear  Miss  Aylwyn,  and  come  to  me 
to-morrow,  when  I  will  have  some  letters  for 
you,  and  give  you  any  needed  instructions." 

"  What  a  proof,"  thought  Alma,  "that  it  is 
always  the  unexpected  that  occurs,"  as,  ex 
pressing  her  thanks  warmly,  she  hastened  back 
to  her  room,  to  follow  his  advice  implicitly. 

Yet  it  loomed  before  her  as  a  huge  and  peril 
ous  undertaking.  "  Will  it  end  in  shipwreck  ?  " 
she  could  not  but  ask  herself.  "  Oh,  mother, 
mother,  come  back,  and  be  my  guardian 
angel !  "  she  prayed.  And  the  wide  world  is 
full  of  motherless  girls,  with  desolation  and 
yearnings  for  a  mother's  love  in  their  hearts. 

Counting  over  the  small  sum  of  money  which 
was  her  worldly  all,  her  heart  sank.  Yet  she 
was  fortunately  too  innocent,  too  ignorant  of 
snares,  to  measure  the  perils  of  her  future. 

The  succeeding  day,  when  she  called  upon 
her  kind  friend  at  the  appointed  hour,  he  had 
several  letters  written  to  influential  people  who 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CHIM  77 

had  political  influence;  but,  most  thoughtful  of 
all,  one  addressed  to  a  woman  of  social  posi 
tion,  whom  he  had  known  from  her  childhood 
—in  fact,  he  had  been  her  father's  friend.  He  ex 
plained  to  this  lacly  exactly  who  Alma  was,  and 
precisely  how  she  was  situated,  and  he  begged 
of  her  such  protecting  care  as  she  could  so 
perfectly  extend  to  an  unprotected  girl,  who 
had  to  fight  life's  battle  under  such  pathetic 
circumstances. 

These  letters  were  handed  unsealed  to  Alma, 
one  by  one,  with  very  explicit  instructions. 

"Go,"  he  said;  "the  moment  you  arrive,  to 
present  your  letter  to  the  lady.  She  will  ad 
vise  you  where  to  get  a  safe  boarding-house, 
and  I  am  sure  she  will  allow  you  to  refer  to 
her,  which  will  enable  you  to  get  a  comfortable 
home.  Then  present  these  other  letters.  These 
gentlemen  will  help  you,  but  it  may  take  some 
little  time  before  they  can  procure  you  a  clerk 
ship,  for  a  situation  under  the  Government  is 
like  a  cheque  on  a  banker.  In  order  to  draw 
upon  it  there  must  be  a  quid  pro  quo."  And 


78  CHIM 

he  laughed  just  a  little,  as  if  mentally  review 
ing  various  official  quids  he  had  known  about. 

"  Well,"  he  continued,  "  if  at  the  end  of,  say, 
three  months,  you  fail  to  get  an  office,  come 
back  here.  Miss  Aylwyn,  and  we  will  manage 
another  year  to  have  a  regular  place  provided 
for  you  in  the  '  Female  Seminary,'  as  a  teacher. 
Meantime,  you  must  live,  and  you  must  be 
freed  from  the  carking  care  for  daily  bread, 
which  kills  the  young,  I  believe,  quicker  than 
the  old,  so  here,  my  dear  young  friend,  is  a 
letter  of  credit  for  you  on  Riggs  &  Co.— 

"A  what,  sir?"  said  Alma  in  undisguised 
astonishment. 

"  Oh,  a  mere  business  form  !  "  replied  the 
beaming  philanthropist.  "  Go  to  the  bankers, 
Riggs  &  Co.,  with  it,  and  they  will  let  you  draw 
upon  me  for  fifty  dollars  a  month,  for  three 
months;  you  see  it's  a  mere  nothing — to  pay 
your  board  bill." 

"  Oh,  no,  no  !  "  said  Alma,  now  shedding  a 
flood  of  tears.  "Really,  I  can  not — I  can  work 
for  this  money,  my  dear,  good  friend — 


INCIDENTAL   TO   CHIM  79 

"  Tut,  tut,  child  !  "  stammered  he,  getting 
very  red  in  the  face;  "  didn't  I  tell  you  it  wor 
ried  me  to  see  you  cry?  take  it,  and  good-bye." 

"  But  I  can't,  I  can't,"  said  Alma,  wringing 
her  hands;  "what  would  mother  have  said  ? 
I  love  you,  good,  kind  friend,  for  this  thought 
— I'm  grateful — it's  not  that — " 

"The  fact  is,"  said  the  old  man  in  a  husky 
voice,  "you  have  to  take  it.  Well,  it's  a  debt 
I  owe  your  grandfather.  Eh  ?  do  you  see  now? 
Good-bye,  and  God  bless  you,"  and  so  saying, 
he  opened  the  door,  and  fairly  hustled  her  off. 

Amid  Alma's  excitement,  she  had  sense 
enough  to  know  that  the  only  "debt"  that 
existed  was  that  due  to  humanity,  and  she  ac 
cepted  the  aid  with  a  heart  glowing  with  grat 
itude,  and  the  firm  resolve  at  some  day  to  re 
pay  it  as  a  loan. 

As  the  noble-hearted  man  abruptly  closed 
the  door  to  conceal  his  own  embarrassment, 
she  did  not  hear  his  soliloquy  of,  "  The  Lord 
forgive  me  if  I  told  the  poor  child  what  Mrs. 
Opie  would  have  called  '  a  white  lie.'  A  debt 


8o  CHIM 

to  her  grandfather  !  Ha,  ha  !  I  call  that  a 
good  joke.  I  well  remember  the  stately  old 
gentleman,  whom  I  met  at  a  dinner  atOgleTay- 
loe's  in  Washington.  Why,  it's  enough  to  make 
that  proud  cavalier  turn  over  in  his  grave,  to 
have  me  send  his  daughter's  child  to  Washing 
ton,  and  pay  her  board-bill.  There's  been  ras 
cality  somewhere.  Ah,  what  of  that  villainous 
rich  cousin  ? " 


CHAPTER  IV 

ALMA   FINDS   A    HOME   THROUGH   CHIM 

THE  year  was  very  old,  and  Christmas  near 
at  hand.  Congress  was  in  session,  and  Wash 
ington, -the  capital  of  manifold  attractions,  was 
now  in  the  heyday  of  her  charms.  Her  po 
litical,  her  official,  her  fashionable,  her  literary, 
her  artistic,  her  scientific  life  was  in  flower,  and 
this  brave  city,  the  central  point  of  statesman 
ship,  of  intrigue,  of  the  commonplace,  of  orig 
inal  thought,  of  abstruse  investigation,  of  art 
culture,  of  earnest  search  after  truth,  was  now 
in  full  panoply,  having  put  on  the  whole  armor 
of  a  leading  factor  of  civilization. 

No  wonder  that  the  sayings  and  doings  of 
this  city  of  bewildering  contrasts,  representing 
alike  the  nation  and  the  age,  should  be  given 
first  place  in  the  news  columns  of  the  country. 

Yet,  apart  from  these  news  notices,  and  shel- 
Si 


82  CHIM 

tercel  from  the  casual  gaze,  as  are  wheels 
within  wheels,  may  be  found  inner  circles  pe 
culiarly  and  distinctively  typical  of  the  freedom 
of  thought  audits  expression,  that  characterize 
this  people,  and  in  these  reunions  may  be 
found,  as  in  the  kernel  of  the  nut,  the  real  pith 
and  substance  of  the  outside  movement  of  the 
times. 

One  of  these  centres  existed  in  Mrs.  Akme's 
drawing-room,  which  had  long  held  an  ac 
knowledged  preeminence  as  a  nucleus,  where 
every  thinker  was  welcome  to  ventilate  his 
thought. 

Mrs.  Akme  represented  much  that  was  para 
doxical,  and  herein,  perhaps,  was  the  power 
that  she  undoubtedly  wielded  over  others. 

As  to  lineage,  she  readily  counted  several 
generations  of  estimable  people,  each  of  whom 
had  been  looked  up  to  in  their  day,  and  this 
gave  her  the  advantage  of  being  quite  sure  of 
herself,  so  that  she  was  not  in  the  least  afraid 
to  recognize  or  even  cultivate  the  acquaintance 
of  those  whom  she  fancied.  As  the  world 


ALMA    FINDS   A    HOME  83 

goes,  this  special  privilege  accorded  to  birth  is 
inestimable  and  a  talent  to  be  accounted  for, 
received  from  the  Lord.  It  enables  one  fear 
lessly  to  give  social  rights  to  merit,  and  to  go 
beyond  the  narrow  boundary  line,  within  which 
so  many  cringe. 

Then  Mrs.  Akme  had,  in  addition  to  a  highly 
respected  name,  inherited  considerable  means, 
which  enabled  her  to  be  independent.  Having 
money  enough  for  her  purposes  she  could 
afford  to  give  this  adjunct  its  proper  place  in 
the  social  scale. 

Everyone  bears  a  cross  in  this  world,  and 
Mrs.  Akme's  was  loneliness. 

She  was  a  childless  widow,  and  felt  her  situa 
tion  all  the  more  keenly  as  the  recollection  of 
the  good  husband  and  interesting  little  daugh 
ter  she  had  lost  were  lasting  and  at  times 
painfully  vivid. 

Not  having  faith  in  any  religion,  but  being  a 
woman  of  strong  and  deep  feeling,  these  sor 
rows  had  impressed  her  manners,  which  were 
grave  and  serious. 


84  CHIM 

But  she  was  of  an  active  temperament,  true, 
in  earnest,  seeking  for  light,  and  from  her 
habit  of  striking  out  in  all  directions  for  infor 
mation  without  an  assured  guide,  she  had 
amassed  a  surprising  conglomeration  of  half- 
digested  theories. 

During  several  years  she  had  been  passing 
through  successive  phases — "planes,"  she 
called  them — and  her  conclusions  of  to-day 
by  no  means  indicated  what  they  might 
be  to-morrow,  because  her  creed  was  "  prog 
ress." 

At  the  particular  time  we  are  writing  about, 
although  she  disdained  to  be  pinned  down  and 
classified  under  any  name,  like  a  dissected  but 
terfly,  yet  in  the  various  conclusions  she  had 
adopted,  others  might  have  called  her  a  bit  of 
an  agnostic,  slightly  a  theosophist,  wholly  a 
mctempsychosist,  and  having  a  leaning  toward 
the  Christian  scientists. 

So  it  may  be  seen  that  this  excellent  lady 
was  holding  her  mind  and  soul  like  a  sieve, 
ready  for  the  reception,  the  careful  straining, 


ALMA    FINDS   A   HOME  85 

the  percolation  and  the  infiltration  of  the  ac 
cumulated  theorems  of  the  ages. 

Such  is  the  rarefied  height  of  this  nineteenth 
century,  from  which  the  long-despised  femi 
nine  mind,  like  the  weird  SJie,  images  in  seem 
ing  youth  and  freshness  the  decay  and  the 
effete  problems  of  a  buried  past. 

Mrs.  Akme,  it  cannot  be  denied,  had  her  weak 
points,  and  yet  such  a  paradox  was  she,  that  in 
h'er  very  weakness  was  a  sort  of  strength. 

For  instance,  she  was  inclined,  without  know 
ing  it,  perhaps,  to  be  very  exclusive,  yet  her 
quite  special  tastes  ran  counter  to  everything 
conventional. 

Access  to  her  drawing-room  was  difficult, 
yet  there  were  points  that  proved  an  "  open 
sesame." 

If  an  invitation  was  desired  on  the  score  of 
wealth  or  fashion,  she  would  decline  w7ith  the 
remark  that  such  a  person  could  give  nothing 
that  she  desired  to  have;  but  if  she  was  told 
that  any  one  was  clever  and  original,  she  would 
not  fail  to  make  them  \velcome. 


86  CHIM 

The  motive  for  her  selections  may  have  been 
all  right,  but  the  result  was  a  collection  of  the 
most  dissimilar  and,  at  times,  incongruous  ele 
ments. 

Once  a  month,  on  Sunday  evening,  this  so 
ciety  had  a  meeting  in  Mrs.  Akme's  parlors,  the 
object  of  which  was  really,  so  far  as  she  was 
concerned,  the  diffusion  of  knowledge. 

But  the  real  outcome  was  to  bring  together 
minds  holding  the  most  advanced  opinions. 

Curiously  enough,  these  meetings  were  look 
ed  forward  to  with  infinite  zest,  not  only  by 
the  members  of  the  association,  but  also  by 
the  society  people,  whom  they  affected  to  ig 
nore. 

It  is  a  queer  thing  that  the  fashionable  world 
is  so  perverse  as  to  unmercifully  snub  those 
who  show  an  anxiety  to  cultivate  them,  but  at 
the  same  time  they  knock  at  the  doors  of  those 
who  affect  an  utter  indifference  to  their  move 
ments. 

So,  in  spite  of  Mrs.  Akme's  expressed  wish, 
that  merely  fashionable  people  should  not 


ALMA    FINDS    A    HOME  8/ 

come,  they  made  a  point  to  make  her  salon  a 
society  event. 

She  was  aghast  to  find  that  it  was  a  craze  to 
be  literary. 

Yet,  as  Mrs.  Akme  was  very  kind-hearted, 
she  tried  to  find  consolation  by  reflecting,  that 
although  these  unfortunates  could  in  no  wise 
benefit  them,  yet  perhaps  they  might  raise  the 
tone  of  their  social  life. 

But  she  overlooked  the  fact  of  the  brainless- 
ness  of  fashion,  and  that  one  might  as  well  send 
tracts  to  Timbuctoo,  as  to  reclaim  frivolity  by 
literature. 

On  this  particular  Saturday  morning  Mrs. 
Akme  was  sipping  a  cup  of  cocoa  at  high  noon, 
admiring  Chim,  who  sat  beside  her,  also  hold 
ing  a  tiny  cup  of  this  nourishing  beverage,  and 
chatting  with  Lennox  Montague,  who  had 
brought  her  a  business  paper  to  sign. 

"  To-morrow  evening,  Lennox,  at  9  o'clock," 
she  said,  "  I  shall  expect  you,  for  I  wish  then  to 
thank  you,  before  our  society,  for  the  priceless 
gift  of  this  wonderful  creature,  whose  rare  en- 


88  CHIM 

dowments  illustrate  and  confirm  my  most  cher 
ished  theories.  Chim,  too,  wishes  to  thank  you 
for  rescuing  him  from  a  terrible  captivity — ' 

Chim,  upon  hearing  his  name,  made  a  very 
sedate  little  bow  of  assent. 

At  this  moment  the  door-bell  rang,  and 
presently  the  butler  handed  her  a  note  and  card 
upon  a  silver  salver. 

Mrs.  Akme  disliked  to  be  disturbed  during 
those  hours  that  she  deemed  she  had  a  right  to 
claim  as  her  own.  We  suppose  every  one  has 
the  same  feeling. 

"  Harman,"  she  said,  as  she  took  the  note, 
"  I  have  several  times  explained  to  you,  not  to 
permit  my  mornings  to  be  invaded;  "  and,  ad 
dressing  Lennox,  she  added,  "this  is  one  of 
the  trials  of  a  Washington  life." 

Meantime  the  door  by  which  the  lackey 
entered  was  ajar. 

What  was  it  that  seemed  so  strangely  to 
agitate  Chim  ?  The  dog,  a  moment  before 
so  placid,  now  hastily  put  down  his  cup,  sniff 
ing. 


ALMA    FINDS    A    HOME  89 

His  mistress  instantly  noticed  his  movement, 
for  it  was  her  latest  fancy  to  make  this  creature 
her  inspiration. 

"There  is  something  occult  in  this  uneasi 
ness,"  she  said  to  Lennox,  who  began  to  have 
a  suspicion  that  she  was  11011  compos.  "  Par 
don,  if  I  read  this  note,  it  may  be  a  missive 
from  one  of  the  Silent  Brothers." 

Chim  had  now  put  his  finely  pointed  nose 
between  his  forepaws,  and  was  quivering  in 
every  limb. 

Mrs.  Akme,  agitated  by  his  agitation,  read 
the  note  hurriedly.  It  was  the  kind  letter  from 
the  dear  old  gentleman  of  Washington,  in 
troducing  Alma,  and  commending  the  unpro 
tected  girl  to  her  good  offices. 

"  Strange  this  should  be  needed,"  she  said  to 
herself,  "for  I  knew  her  courtly  grandfather 
when  I  was  a  young  girl,  and  he  was  thought 
to  be  a  man  of  family  and  fortune." 

Harman  still  awaited  orders.  "Show  the 
lady  in,"  said  Mrs.  Akme. 

Another  instant,  and  Alma  entered. 


90  CIIIM 

With  one  piercing  cry,  that  was  human  in  its 
intensity,  Chim  bounded  from  his  chair,  with 
a  sudden  spring,  and  rolled  over  and  over  at 
the  feet  of  his  beloved,  long-lost  mistress, 
fondly  licking  her  hands  in  an  ecstasy  of  joy 
— while  she,  poor  child,  in  amazed  delight, 
called  out,  "Chim!  Chim!"  and,  kneeling 
down,  pressed  her  darling,  long-lost  pet  to  her 
wildly  beating  heart. 

This  affecting  scene  lasted  some  moments 
before  Alma  arose  trembling,  but  still  clasping 
her  treasure  in  her  arms. 

Mrs.  Akme  was  exceedingly  pale. 

Never  before  had  Lennox  experienced  such 
mingled  emotions  of  surprise  and  admiration, 
for  Alma  was  a  beautiful  girl,  and  the  scene 
made  a  picture  for  eye  and  heart  to  dwell  upon. 

What  peculiar  sensations  overcame  him  as 
he  instantly  realized  the  astonishing  circum 
stance,  that  he,  too,  was  one  of  the  actors  in 
this  little  drama,  he  having  found  and  rescued 
the  dog,  and  thus  prepared  the  way  for  this 
rapturous  meeting.  And  now  he  was  the  wit- 


ALMA   FINDS   A   HOME  QI 

ness  to  their  happiness.  He  felt  for  the  first 
time  in  his  life  as  if  he  might  be  the  hero  of  a 
fairy  tale,  to  whom  was  confided  the  clue  that 
threaded  a  labyrinthian  maze. 

But  Mrs.  Akme  was  ecstatic,  as  one  who  is 
suddenly  transported  beyond  the  boundary 
line,  and  ushered  into  another  world. 

The  visible  faded  away,  and  she  grasped  at 
the  invisible. 

'To  her  highly  exalted  imagination  this 
meeting  was  not  only  a  revelation  from  the 
spirit  world,  it  was  a  positive  command. 

Her  penetrating  intelligence  connected  the 
links  of  the  mysterious  chain  of  events,  and 
her  generous  heart  at  once  conceived  a  project. 

It  was  evident  that  the  wonderful  dog  be 
longed  to  this  fair  girl,  who  now  stood  before 
her,  a  beaming,  lovely  picture,  with  the  ador 
able  creature  nestled  close  to  her  heart,  as  he 
peered  out  at  her  from  underneath  his  over 
hanging  silken  curls,  with  a  kindly  but  yet  a 
defiant  air. 

Fidelity  is  the  sublime  attribute  of  the  dog; 


92  CHIM 

the  virtue  his  race  typifies,  and  she  knew  that 
his  first  lealty  belonged  to  his  mistress. 

Yet  this  being  meant  more  to  her  soul-life 
than  any  joy  or  sorrow  that  could  come  to  her, 
for  he  was  the  exemplification  of  that  which 
she  had  eagerly  sought. 

He  was  the  embodiment  of  a  principle. 

She  felt  sure  that  she  alone  had  divined  his 
secret;  she  alone  knew  him  to  be  a  wonderful 
incarnation,  and  she  alone  must  guard  this 
astounding  evidence  of  metempsychosis.  At  all 
hazards — all  sacrifices — she  must  keep  him  near 
her;  he  must  be  watched  over  for  the  sake  of 
truth,  and  out  of  her  reverential  belief  in  the 
wisdom-religion. 

There  was  so  much  awaiting  proof  that  could 
only  be  solved  through  this  marvel  of  trans 
migration. 

A  thousand,  thousand,  incoherent  thoughts 
were  hers,  which  formed  themselves,  more 
rapidly  than  can  be  conceived  in  the  telling, 
into  one  firm  resolve. 

That  was,  that  she  would  never,  never  part 


ALMA    FINDS   A    HOME  93 

with  this  being-;  and  in  order  to  retain  Chim, 
she  would  adopt  Alma,  to  whom  he  belonged, 
as  her  own  daughter. 

The  young  lady  was  interesting  and  very 
lovable,  and  it  would  be  nice  anyhow. 

Fairly  trembling  for  fear  of  a  refusal,  Mrs. 
Akme  approached  the  homeless  orphan,  and 
embracing  her,  said  in  the  most  captivating 
way: 

*'  Dear  child,  I  welcome  you  as  my  own 
daughter — stay  with  me,  and  be  mine." 

As  she  uttered  these  persuasive  words,  the 
poor  lady  was  overwhelmed  with  an  overpow 
ering  recollection  of  her  own  fair  child,  always 
mourned  for,  although  lost  years  ago.  This 
lamented  child  would,  if  living,  have  now 
reached  Alma's  age. 

Subdued  by  these  conflicting  emotions,  the 
proud,  the  collected,  the  self-reliant,  thought- 
leader  rested  her  head,  as  if  for  solace,  upon 
the  shoulder  of  this  beautiful  girl,  with  a  pro 
tecting  arm  thrown  lovingly  around  her  waist. 

"  Madam,  dear,  dear  madam — "  was  all  that 


94  CHIM 

Alma  could  say,  as  she  felt  as  if  her  heart 
would  burst;  and  Lennox  Montague,  under 
standing  with  the  quick  intuition  of  a  refined 
nature  that  the  improvised  scene  was  too  sa 
cred,  the  reality  too  extraordinary  for  any 
witness,  quietly  withdrew. 

The  last  glimpse  he  had  of  the  delightful 
trio  was  that  of  Chim  huddled  in  a  heap  in  Al 
ma's  arms,  but  softly  and  approvingly  licking 
Mrs.  Akme's  hand  that  encircled  the  waist  of 
his  mistress.  For  Chim,  too,  was  giving  her 
thanks. 

"  Really,  it  is  sublimely  ridiculous,  and  at 
the  same  time  awfully  touching,"  said  Lennox 
to  himself,  as,  seizing  his  hat  and  forgetting 
his  cane,  he  hurried  away.  "I  suppose — " 
thought  he,  as  he  rushed  through  the  streets, 
half  upsetting  a  baby-carriage  and  half  upset 
by  a  dog  that  ran  between  his  legs — "  confound 
it,"  thought  he,  "  I  believe  that  frizzled  dog  is 
bewitched,  and  I  am  under  the  spell.  What  a 
beauty  she  is  !  Heavens  !  but  that  is  a  lucky 
dog!  I  wish  I  were  in  his  place.  Fie,  my  dual, 


ALMA    FINDS    A   HOME  95 

I'm  ashamed  of  you.  I  ought  to  laugh  at  the 
scene  I've  witnessed;  but  I  can't,  for  dear  Mrs. 
Akme  has  the  magnetism  of  sincerity,  and  you 
are  dragged  along  as  you  protest  against  the 
absurdity.  And  what  a  lucky  fellow  I  am  to 
have  saved  that  dog,  that  found  that  home, 
for  that  angel  !  " 

Thus  assenting,  dissenting,  protesting  and 
affirming,  Lennox  Montague  became  that  woe 
ful*  bundle  of  contradictions,  that  capricious 
antithesis,  that  most  unreasonable  of  all  rea 
soning  animals — a  man  in  love  !  He  did  not 
know  what  was  the  matter  with  him;  but  he 
returned  to  his  F  Street  den  the  victim  of 
new  sensations. 

The  two  fascinating  women,  now  seated  on 
a  low  divan,  talked  long  and  earnestly  in  sub 
dued,  silvery  tones,  with  Chim  resting  between 
them,  all  curled  up  in  a  fluffy  coil,  his  dreamy 
eyes  squeezed  tight  shut,  sleeping  serenely  in 
sweetest  slumber,  overcome  by  the  excess  of 
his  great  happiness. 

He,  the  hero,  who,  like  knight-errant  of  old, 


g6  CHIM 

had  gone  forth  to  do  battle  with  the  ogre  in  his 
den,  who  had  been  victorious,  and  gained  par 
adise  for  her  whom  he  adored,  as  well  as  a  lux 
urious  home  for  himself,  and  a  true  matron's 
protecting  care  for  them  both. 

What  dreams  do  all  those  little   twitching  • 
movements,  watched  by  four  loving  eyes,  be 
tray  ? 

Chim  dreams  of  the  green  hills  of  Washing 
ton,  of  the  lonely  hours  while  his  mistress  gives 
her  daily  lessons  for  bread,  of  his  sympathetic 
tears  for  her  sorrows,  of  the  lessons  that  made 
him  an  educated  clog,  of  the  rewards  given,  of 
the  verdant  meadow  beside  the  brooklet;  then 
the  scene  changes,  and  the  terrible  nightmare 
of  the  hurdy-gurdy  oppresses  him  ;  he  feels 
the  weary  trotting  on  all  day,  day  after  dayt 
footsore,  heartsore  and  hungry  ;  fleas  disport 
themselves  in  his  unkempt  hair,  and  torture 
him;  he  moans,  for  he  is  beaten;  he  shivers, 
for  he  is  cold,  oh,  how  cold  !  Then  the  street 
performance,  the  having  to  earn  his  bread  by 
those  straining  leaps,  tired  and  faint  as  he  was. 


ALMA    FINDS   A    HOME  97 

Ah,  the  sun  shines  at  last  upon  his  blank  de 
spair,  the  manly  youth  rescues  him,  a  loving 
woman  shelters  him,  and  these  dawning 
glimpses  of  a  brighter  future  now  open  into  the 
glory-flooded  light  of  reunion  with  her;  and  in 
the  midst  of  his  great  content  his  senses  dis 
solve  into  dreamless  sleep. 

Oh,  Chim,  when  perchance  mortals  sink  into 
sleep  like  that,  they  awaken  revivified,  having 
been  strengthened  by  the  elixir  of  life. 

What  a  mystery  is  here  unfolded,  that  obliv 
ion  is  needed  to  build  spent  forces  anew.  Yet, 
let  neither  dog  nor  man  seek  to  unveil  the  fu 
ture. 

Ah,  Chim,  not  even  in  dreams'  magic  visions 
can  you  foresee  the  dawning  glories  of  the  ris 
ing  sun  ! 

To-day  you  are  but  a  skye-terrier,  but  to 
morrow  you  are  to  be — a  pundit  ! 

The  foregoing  may  appear  rhapsodical,  but 
it  is  simply  incidental  to  the  theosophic  belief 
of  a  transmigration  of  souls,  as  we  shall  pres 
ently  realize. 


98  CHIM 

The  doing  of  a  good  deed,  even  if  the  mo 
tive  is  not  flawless,  brings  a  reward.  This  Mrs. 
Akme  experienced,  as  this  hitherto  lonely 
woman  was  comforted  by  the  lovable  Alma 
Aylwyn,  and  she  felt  a  profound  happiness  to 
which  she  had  long  been  a  stranger. 

These  two  women  intuitively  knew  and  un 
derstood  that  they  needed  each  other.  Which 
one  had  really  gained  the  most  ?  The  world, 
the  dollar-counting  world,  exclaims :  "  The 
gain  is  for  the  orphan  girl." 

Mrs.  Akme  knew  better  how  to  measure  the 
real  with  the  unreal.  She  knew  how  little 
money  counts,  beyond  the  necessity  of  living. 

How  natural  the  situation  was,  after  all.  They 
had  similar  family  traditions,  with  a  unison  of 
tastes  and  cultivation,  while  the  contrasting  dif 
ferences  only  held  them  the  more  closely  to 
gether,  for  the  experience  of  the  matron  sup 
plemented  the  inexperience  of  the  maiden,  and 
there  were  no  points  of  dissimilarity  to  make 
discord. 

And  this  learned  woman,  usually  so  indiffer- 


ALMA   FINDS   A    HOME  99 

ent,  except  as  to  literature,  and  theses,  and 
philosophy  and  progress,  had  the  deep  foun 
tains  of  her  affections  touched,  and  an  upspring- 
ing  love  of  this  artless  girl,  who  was  henceforth 
to  be  as  her  very  own,  overshadowed  in  its  hu 
man  intensity  for  the  moment  even  her  en 
thusiasm  for  the  wisdom-religion,  and  for  Chim 
as  an  illustration  of  its  creed. 

At  her  earnest  request,  Alma  gave  the  his 
tory  of  her  life,  and  the  story  was  all  the  more 
pathetic  because  of  its  simplicity. 

While  this  recital  was  being  made  Chim  slept, 
but  as  the  monotone  of  her  voice  ceased,  he 
awoke,  and  barked  for  something  to  eat,  which 
suddenly  reminded  Mrs.  Akme  of  the  bodily 
needs  of  her  newly  adopted  child.  Her  lug 
gage,  which  had  been  left  at  the  station,  was 
sent  for,  a  tempting  lunch  spread  before  her, 
succeeded  by  a  delightful  drive  to  the  Soldiers' 
Home,  for  it  was  one  of  Washington's  balmy 
winter  days.  The  invigorating  drive  was  fol 
lowed  by  a  quiet  dinner,  and  Alma's  piano  play 
ing  made  the  evening  pass  pleasantly.  Mrs. 


100  CHIM 

Akme,  although  not  herself  a  fine  musician, 
had  a  cultivated  ear,  and  could  appreciate  the 
accuracy  and  delicacy  of  Alma's  touch. 

Finally  Mrs.  Akme  took  Alma  herself  to  a 
beautiful  room,  only  separated  from  her  own  by 
an  artistic  boudoir,  which  was  draped  in  sky 
blue,  in  compliment  to  the  skye.  As  they  en 
tered  the  charming  apartment  together,  Mrs. 
Akme  embraced  Alma,  and  said,  "  My  dear 
child,  this  is  your  own  room,  I  beg  you  will 
feel  at  home  in  it,  and  find  it  restful.  It  is  your 
sanctum,  for  no  one  can  grow  mentally  with 
out  setting  apart  some  time  each  day  as  sacred 
to  solitude.  It  is  willed,  my  dear,  that  your 
struggle  for  subsistence  is  ended,  and  that  our 
fates  shall  henceforth  be  united,  but,"  and  she 
hesitated,  "  I  beg  of  you  one  favor  in  return 
for  all  I  hope  to  do  to  make  you  happy." 

Mrs.  Akme  was  always  very  composed,  as 
one  accustomed  to  society,  and  no  formal  oc 
casion  of  conventional  life  could  have  embar 
rassed  her,  but  she  felt  deeply  now,  and  almost 
ashamed  too,  to  place  such  stress  on  a  slight 


ALMA    FINDS   A    HOME  IOI 

thing,  and  she  was  visibly  embarrassed  as  she 
added,  "  This  boudoir  that  connects  our  rooms 
is  his  adytum — I  wish  that  he  should  occupy  it 
alone.  Thus  he  will  belong  to  us  both,  and — 
well,  I  beg  you  to  teach  him  to  share  his  love 
for  you  with  me." 

It  is  said  reluctantly,  yet  truth  compels  the 
avowal  :  This  seeming  nothing  that  Mrs.  Akme 
asked  in  return  for  a  luxurious  home,  and  a 
loving  reception  in  it,  was  really  the  greatest 
sacrifice  this  excellent  lady  could  have  requir 
ed  of  her  ward.  Alma  yearned  so  to  have  Chim 
to  herself,  to  place  him  as  he  was  placed  in 
their  simple  room  in  a  village  boarding-house, 
where  he  used  to  curl  himself  into  a  downy 
ball,  and  sleep  divinely.  It  is  not  the  only  in 
stance  where  an  humble  home  has  given  some 
real  happiness  in  its  homely  comforts,  that  the 
gilded  cage  of  a  palatial  mansion  cannot  offer. 

Alma  was  truly  and  deeply  grateful,  and  so 
she  at  once  checked  the  nascent  selfishness. 
"  It  shall  be  quite  as  you  wish,  dear  madam," 
she  said.  Then  turning  to  Chim,  who  had 


102  CHIM 

stood  beside  her,  looking  from  one  to  the  other 
during  the  course  of  the  conversation,  she  said 
in  a  tone  of  authority  which  Chim  had  been 
trained  to  heed,  "  Here,  sir,  is  your  room,  and 
here  you  must  sleep,"  putting  him  down  on  a 
triangular  blue  satin-covered  canopied  couch, 
with  eider-down  quilt  and  pillows  piled  up, 
and  snugly  fitting  in  a  corner  sheltered  from  all 
drafts.  Mrs.  Akme  looked  on.  The  dog  feign 
ed  not  to  hear,  and  sliding  off  the  low  couch 
ran  into  Alma's  room,  where  he  lay  down  on 
the  rug  at  the  foot  of  her  bed,  putting  his  head 
between  his  forepaws,  after  a  way  he  had  when 
he  was  taking  note  of  things  around  him.  He 

o  o 

kept  his  weather-eye  wide  open,  and  the  only 
sign  he  gave  of  life  was  an  almost  imperceptible 
movement  of  his  tail.  But  he  had  to  deal  now 
with  the  firm  will  of  his  trainer,  and  she  was 
not  to  be  thus  deceived.  "  Chim,  sir!"  she  re 
peated  in  a  severe  tone  of  displeasure,  pointing 
to  the  next  rcom  in  the  direction  of  his  bed. 

The  poor  little  creature  recognized  the  in 
evitable,    and    straightening    himself  out,    he 


ALMA   FINDS   A   HOME  103 

slowly  and  abjectly  dragged  himself  along  on 
his  stomach,  letting  his  hind  legs  stretch  out 
limp.  Now  and  then  he  made  short  pauses  as 
if  for  reprieve  of  the  hard  sentence,  but  finding 
from  the  inflexible  attitude  of  his  mistress,  that 
he  must  obey,  he  finally  reached  his  couch, 
and  with  a  feeble  hop,  as  if  it  were  an  expiring 
effort,  he  settled  himself  down,  with  a  low  whine. 
But  as  Mrs.  Akme  now  came  forward  to  cover 
him  with  the  quilt,  he  gave  decided  evidence 
of  renewed  vigor,  as  he  quickly  tossed  it  off, 
with  a  wicked  red  gleam  in  his  angry  eye. 

Then  Mrs.  Akme,  who  had  perfectly  meas 
ured  it  all,  again  embraced  Alma  as  she  bade 
her  "  good-night." 

"  Thanks,  my  dear,"  she  said,  "  you  are  good 
and  true." 

But  Chim,  the  little  rascal,  was  revengeful 
for  once,  and  did  his  best  to  disturb  them  both, 
for  he  had  an  uneasy  sleep,  in  which  he  cer 
tainly  did  snore,  at  intervals  twitching  and 
giving  undoubted  symptoms  of  heartache  or 
indigestion.  And  so  naughty  was  he,  that 


104  CHIM 

once,  indeed,  Alma,  who  could  not  sleep  that 
night,  caught  the  recreant  puppy  actually 
sneaking  into  her  room;  but  upon  her  decisive 
"  Cliiin,  sir!"  he  guiltily  slunk  back. 

"  What  did  he  do  ?  "  called  out  Mrs.  Akme, 
who  had  also  left  the  door  of  her  room  ajar, 
and  who  was  passing  a  sleepless  night. 

"He  tried,  madam,  to  come  to  me."  an 
swered  Alma. 

"  An  astonishing  proof,"  soliloquized  Mrs. 
Akme,  "of  the  conflict  of  the  antagonisms  of 
transmigration.  Here  we  have  the  aura  of  the 
pundit  imprisoned  in  the  shell  of  a  dog.  The 
principles  are  at  variance,  and  yet  it  is  but  a 
phase  of  successive  reincarnations." 


CHAPTER  V 

CHIM'S  DEBUT 

THE  two  ladies  breakfasted  at  a  late  hour 
the  next  morning.  Mrs.  Akme  looked  some 
what  careworn,  and  Alma  a  trifle  pale.  She 
was  a  typical  American  beauty,  this  lovely 
wild  rose,  of  a  good  old  stock.  In  stature 
about  medium  height,  svelte,  and  her  move 
ments  had  a  willowy  grace  suggestive  of  sup 
pleness  and  strength — what,  indeed,  might 
aptly  be  described  as  facile  force.  One  felt 
that  she  was  amiable  enough  to  yield,  and  at 
the  same  time  was  firm  where  resistance  was 
needed.  As  to  her  complexion,  it  was  simply 
faultless;  fair,  and  with  coloring  of  roseate, 
vivid,  changing  tints. 

Mrs.  Akme  looked  at  her  admiringly,  with 
the  thought  that  "  beauty  was  captivating,  but 

when  allied  with  goodness,  was  lovable,"  for 
105 


106  CHIM 

already  had  she  experienced  the  healing  power 
of  this  companionship. 

Chim  sat  between  them,  none  the  worse  for 
the  uneasy  slumbers  of  the  past  night,  and 
quite  restored  to  good  humor  over  his  lamb  chop, 
as,  indeed,  many  people  are  during  the  appre 
ciative  discussion  of  a  satisfactory  breakfast. 

The  butler,  careful  for  the  napery,  had  tuck 
ed  a  napkin  round  his  neck  as  best  he  could, 
for  Mrs.  Akme  had  absolutely  forbidden  the 
use  of  a  pin  as  dangerous. 

"  This  is  a  precaution,"  she  said,  "  that  heed 
less  mothers  are  apt  to  neglect.  Their  babies 
cry  because  they  are  scratched,  then  they  yell 
because,  when  they  wriggle,  the  pin  sticks  the 
deeper.  I  know,"  she  added,  apologetically, 
"  that  it  is  bad  form  for  Chim  to  have  this  nap 
kin  under  his  chin." 

"Yet,"  suggested  Alma,  gravely,  "I  am 
told  that  English  well-fed  aldermen  do  it,  and 
even  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London  when  he 
dined  with  Whittington's  cat,  and  Chim  comes 
of  Anglo-American  stock." 


CHIM'S  DEBUT  107 

"  True,"  said  Mrs.  Akme  approvingly,  "  it  is 
probable  he  was  an  Anglican  alderman  in  one 
of  his  life-cycles." 

"  He  may  have  been  Mother  Goose,"  said 
Alma  laughing,  not  realizing  the  profundity  of 
her  friend's  remark. 

"  My  dear  child,"  replied  she  with  dignity, 
"  the  apparently  incoherent  recitals  of  this 
nursery  book,  especially  these  rhymes  regard 
ing  animals,  have  a  deep  allegorical  meaning, 
some  of  them  archaic,  and  can  be  traced  back 
to  Plotinus." 

Alma  never  having  heard  of  Plotinus,  felt 
her  ignorance,  and  so  very  naively  answered, 
"  I  don't  know  :  I  have  so  much  to  learn." 

The  most  expert  courtier  could  not  have 
better  pleased  Mrs.  Akme,  who  knew  society, 
was  tired  of  its  pretentious  ways,  and  found  an 
infinite  charm  in  unaffected  simplicity.  Then 
the  role  of  superior  acquirements,  thus  grace 
fully  conceded  her,  was  to  her  liking. 

This  winter  breakfast-room,  in  which  the  trio 
were,  was  cozy  and  had  the  glow  of  the  south- 


IOS  CHIM 

east  light  so  cheering  of  a  winter  morning,  when 
Washington  is  irradiated  by  her  brilliant  sun. 

Just  then  a  broad,  bright  ray  like  a  warm 
welcome,  rested  on  the  rich  abundance  of  the 
soft  brown  and  golden  hair  of  the  young  girl, 
and  flitted  around  her  figure,  investing  her 
with  a  sort  of  diaphanous  atmosphere. 

"  A  benison  has  fallen  upon  my  lonely 
home,"  thought  the  matron:  "this  dear  child 
is  a  pleasing  neophyte  to  instruct." 

At  that  moment  Lennox  Montague's  card 
was  handed  in.  Mrs.  Akme  liked  Lennox 

• 

very  much,  but  she  did  not  like  being  disturb 
ed  at  all  hours. 

However,  she  said,"  Show  Mr.  Montague  in," 
and  as  he  entered,  she  said  kindly  yet  pointed 
ly,  "  Good-morning,  Lennox  ;  I  thought  these 
were  your  hours  for  church." 

This  little  speech  was  perfectly  understood 
by  the  youth,  and  acted  as  a  useful  tonic  for 
the  future  when  he  was  tempted  to  seek  Alma 
at  other  than  visiting  hours.  The  fact  was, 
his  desire  to  meet  Alma  again  had  been  irre- 


CHIMS    DEBUT  lOQ 

sistible,  but  he  had  the  savoir-faire  to  collect 
himself,  and  with  the  hurried  air  of  a  man 
who  has  no  time  to  lose,  declined  the  proffered 
chair,  though  it  cost  him  a  pang  to  do  so. 

"  I  have  ventured  to  call  at  this  unseason 
able  hour,"  he  said  affably,  "  wishing  to  find 
you  at  home,  Mrs.  Akme,  and  to  offer  my  ser 
vices  in  case  you  need  them  for  this  evening." 

"  Thanks,"  said  that  lady  with  a  twinge  of 
self-reproach,  "  you  are  very  thoughtful."  She 
paused  a  moment,  then  added  : 

"  I  had  intended  writing  a  note  to  Professor 
Wissy-Wassy,  who  is  to  introduce  Chim  to  our 
Society  of  Adepts,  in  order  to  acquaint  him  with 
the  remarkable  coincidence  of  the  arrival  of 
Miss  Aylvvyn  in  that  connection,  but  if  you  will 
kindly  call  upon  that  gentleman  and  inform 
him  of  all  the  facts  you  will  greatly  oblige 
me." 

There  are  some  things  in  occultism  difficult 
to  put  upon  paper,  and  better  explained  in  a 
conversational  way. 

Alma's  mind  was  confused  by  this  mode  of 


HO  CHIM 

speech  so  new  to  her — "  introduce  Chim  to 
the  Society  of  Adepts, "and  "occultism,"  con 
necting  Chim  and  herself.  She  began  to  feel  as 
if  it  were  all  some  strange  hallucination,  and 
Chim  perhaps  the  genie  that  rubbed  Aladdin's 
lamp. 

Just  then  Chim  jumped  down  out  of  his  chair, 
pulling  the  napkin  off,  and  hopped  up  into 
Alma's  lap,  looking  in  a  half  jealous  way  at 
Lennox  who  had  noticed  him  with  repressed 
merriment. 

Almost  as  if  divining  Alma's  thought,  Len 
nox  said,  "  Perhaps,  Miss  Aylwyn,  Chim  is 
good  enough  to  mistake  me  for  the  prince  of 
the  fairy  tale,  and  he  asserts  himself." 

Conscious  of  an  undefined  sentiment  she 
wished  to  repress,  the  eyes  of  the  beautiful  girl 
took  on  the  hue  of  the  deep  blue  sea,  and  her 
cheeks  were  aflame  as  are  the  glowing  sunlit 
waves. 

Lennox  in  his  turn  wondered  "how  much 
more  such  loveliness  would  upset  his  reason," 
while  Chim,  as  if  taking  in  the  situation  from 


CHIMS    DEBUT  III 

his  vantage-ground,  glared  round  the  table  in 
a  very  spoiled  way. 

Suddenly  his  mistress,  recalling  the  request 
of  Mrs.  Akme,  said  to  the  dog,  "Down,  sir." 
As  he  did  not  stir  she  quietly  arose,  letting 
him  slide  to  the  floor.  Chim  would  have  been 
miserable  indeed  could  he  have  known  of  an 
almost  imperceptible  heart-throb  of  his  fair 
tyrant,  which,  like  a  shadow  half-concealed, 
foretold  that  she  might  some  day  live,  move, 
and  have  her  being,  with  another  object  reign 
ing  supreme  in  her  affections.  Ah,  Chim,  thou 
knowest  not  yet  how  lamentably  fickle  is  a 
woman's  heart  ! 

Petted  children  sometimes  pretend  to  be 
hurt  when  they  are  not,  if  it  is  attempted  to 
punish  them,  and  Chim,  like  a  spoiled  child, 
cried  when  he  was  put  down. 

"  Oh,"  said  Mrs.  Akme  with  solicitude,  "  can 
he  be  hurt  ?  " 

''Not  at  all  hurt,"  replied  Alma  quietly;  "he 
is  only  naughty,"  and  she  stooped  down  and 
gave  him  a  smart  slap. 


112  CHIM 

This  punishment  did  him  good,  for  he 
stopped  crying,  and  moved  his  tail  in  a  suppli 
cating  way. 

"Go  back  to  your  chair,  sir,"  said  Alma. 

Chim  obeyed  the  command.  Lennox  was 
delighted  to  see  that  much  common  sense  left 
to  womankind. 

Ah,  Chim,  you  were  unwittingly  pointing  a 
moral,  for  before  this  day  closes  you  are  to 
have  an  apotheosis,  but  the  foundation  is  laid 
in  your  first  being  humbled  !  Such  are  the 
lights  and  shadows  of  a  life  ! 

Lennox  then  said,  "I  will  at  once  go  and 
see  the  professor,  who,  I  fancy,  can  be  found 
in  his  study  at  this  hour."  So  bidding  the 
ladies  and  Chim  "good  morning,"  he  went 
away. 

After  he  left,  Mrs.  Akme  remarked  to  Alma, 
"  I  quite  forgot  to  mention  to  you,  clear,  in 
connection  with  the  day,  that  I  have  no  form 
ulated  creed  that  takes  me  to  any  church.  I 
have  long  ago  emancipated  myself  from  thral 
dom,  and  thought-freedom  in  the  largest  sense 


CHIMS    DEBUT  113 

is  what  I  seek.  Yet  I  desire  that  others  should 
also  have  the  same  liberty.  But  I  fear  it  is 
now  too  late  for  any  of  the  morning  services, 
for  I  heard  the  church  bells  ring  while  we  were 
at  breakfast." 

Alma  said,  "  Thanks,  Mrs.  Akme;  unfortu 
nately  I  am  not  a  professing  Christian,  although 
I  love  to  go  to  church,  especially  I  enjoy  the 
ceremonies  of  the  Catholics." 

"  I  have  a  friend,"  replied  Mrs.  Akme,  "  who 
has  a  pew  at  St.  Matthew's,  and  I  will  ask  her 
if  she  can  spare  you  a  seat.  After  this,  go 
whenever  you  are  so  inclined.  And  now,  dear, 
shut  Chim  up  in  his  room,  or  you  may  walk 
out  together — do  as  you  will;  but  I  shall  find 
it  needful  for  my  spirit-growth  to  be  alone  till 
dinner.  This  evening  at  nine  o'clock  the  So 
ciety  of  Adepts  will  meet  in  my  drawing-room. 
Chim  will  then  be  introduced,  and  you  will 
greatly  oblige  me,  dear,  if  you  will  see  that  the 
maid  pays  proper  attention  to  his  toilette.  A 
perfumed  bath,  for  instance,  will  be  pleasant  for 
him,  and  make  him  attractive  to  others." 


114  CIIIM 

Alma  was  very  careful  to  prepare  Chim  for 
the  evening,  and  while  she  was  amusing  her 
self  with  the  intelligent  little  creature,  who 
was  very  frisky  and  vivacious,  she  made  him 
rehearse  all  of  his  old  tricks,  much  wondering, 
while  she  did  so,  what  part  he  was  destined  to 
play  among  the  Adepts. 

Shortly  before  nine  o'clock  Mrs.  Akme  came 
to  Chim's  boudoir  where  Alma  was,  and  they 
then  accompanied  her  to  the  drawing-room. 

The  house  presented  a  charming  picture  of 
quiet  elegance,  as  the  cheerful  blaze  of  wood- 
fires,  subdued  by  lamplight  and  shaded  wax 
candles,  suggested  the  dreaminess  of  contem 
plative  thought,  rather  than  the  glare  and  ex 
citement  attending  the  usual  society  enter 
tainments. 

Alma  thought  she  had  never  seen  anything 
"  so  enchanting,"  and  she  never  had,  so  she 
told  Mrs.  Akme — a  candid  avowal  that  pleased 
that  lady,  for  however  sublimated  her  soul  may 
have  been,  she  liked  the  recognition  of  success. 

Punctually  at  nine  the  Adepts  arrived,  who 


CHIM'S  DEBUT  115 

were  nine  in  number,  including  the  hostess. 
And  here  let  it  be  remarked  that  everything 
the  Adepts  did  and  said  was  supposed  to  be 
symbolical  and  to  have  a  hidden  meaning,  ac 
cording  to  the  complex  laws  of  the  Secret 
Science. 

So  that,  although  they  preferred  to  be  left 
alone,  yet  it  made  little  or  no  difference  who 
was  present  of  the  uninitiated,  inasmuch  as  no 
one  could  understand  them. 

They  had  the  polished  wit  of  Talleyrand,  in 
making  language  conceal  thought,  for  with 
them  thought  was  the  Saracenic  scimitar, 
and  words  the  sheath  to  keep  the  blade  from 
rusting. 

Alma,  arrayed  in  spotless  white,  stood  just  a 
little  back  of  Mrs.  Akme,  holding  Chim  in 
leash  by  a  blue  ribbon,  while  Lennox,  who 
had  availed  himself  of  the  invitation  to  "come 
early,"  stood  beside  Alma  in  order  to  assist 
her,  if  need  be,  in  the  care  of  Chim,  and  he  was 
dazzled  by  Alma's  white  dress,  which  seemed 
to  him  marvelously  becoming. 


Il6  CHIM 

That  morning  he  had  duly  made  known  to 
Professor  Wissy-Wassy,  in  compliance  with  the 
request  of  Mrs.  Akme,  all  that  had  transpired, 
but  to  his  surprise  that  gentleman  took  the 
matter  very  coolly,  merely  remarking  that  he 
had,  "  the  night  previous,  when  in  a  lucid,  clair 
voyant  state,  been  made  aware  of  what  had 
taken  place  !  " 

It  seemed  to  Lennox,  upon  hearing  this  state 
ment,  that  this  gentlemen  was  not  a  comfort 
able  person  to  know,  if  he  had  the  power,  like 
Asmodeus,  the  renowned  devil  on  two  sticks, 
to  inspect  what  people  were  about,  without 
their  being  at  all  able  to  protect  themselves 
against  such  ubiquitous  espionage. 

When  all  were  assembled  it  was  a  most  not 
able  symposium  ! 

Professor  Guatama  lamblichus  Wissy-Wassy, 
Mahatma,  and  teacher  of  hermetic  philosophy 
and  Orientalism,  was  a  host  in  himself,  enough 
possibly  to  have  purified  the  air  of  Washington 
during  a  whole  session  of  Congress,  had  that 
erratic  body  only  had  the  mystic  sense  to  make 


CHIM'S  DEBUT  117 

the  needed  appropriation  for  the  cleaning  of 
the  Augean  stables  under  his  direction.  This 
suggestion  may  seem  irrelevant,  but  in  it  is 
sufficient  material  for  the  publication,  at  public 
expense  of  course,  of  a  public  document,  ir 
reverently  often  alluded  to  as  "  Pub.  Doc."  for 
short. 

The.  clear  olive  complexion,  languid  dark 
eyes,  and  ascetic  figure  of  the  professor  gave 
an  indefinable  inkling  of  his  leading  an  inner 
life  of  concentrated  contemplation,  removed 
from  transitory,  terrestrial  scenes. 

Had  he  only  enwrapped  his  massive  head  in 
the  folds  of  an  Oriental  turban,  and  draped 
himself  in  a  flowing  white  woolen  garment,  the 
illusion  would  have  been  enhanced. 

Yet,  even  in  a  well-fitting  dress-suit  of  Hei- 
berger's  make  (and  surprising  to  add,  for  a 
dreamer,  it  was  paid  for,  too),  he  had  a  strange, 
weird,  haggard  look,  which  made  an  impres 
sion  that  the  grave,  deep,  sepulchral  tones  of 
his  voice  increased. 

This  gentleman  and  Mrs.  Akme  were  evi- 


118  CHIM 

dently  the  leaders  who  gave  cohesion  to  the 
society.  But  Mrs.  Akme's  delight  was  to  give 
everybody  a  free  lunch,  and  a  free  ride  on  his 
or  her  hobby. 

This  was  what  this  dear  lady  called,  "  need 
ed  thought  attrition"  and  "  progress." 

It  has  been  said  that  many  people  call  the 
act  of  going  "  progress,"  forgetting  that  if  one 
goes  wrong,  movement  becomes  retrograde. 

Mrs.  Odic  had  been  received  as  an  Adept  by 
Mrs.  Akme  with  some  hesitation,  not  because 
she  was  a  spiritualist,  as  it  would  have  run 
counter  to  the  grand  idea  of  freedom,  to  forbid 
any  one's  initiation  on  account  of  their  theories, 
but  unfortunately  for  general  society,  Mrs. 
Odic,  who  was  no  longer  young,  had  put  her 
theories  into  vigorous  practice,  left  her  husband 
and  their  children,  and  was  spiritually  married 
to  Augustus  Odic,  a  wavering  boy  of  twenty, 
whom  she  had  discovered  to  be  her  soul's  affin 
ity.  This  startling  application  of  a  theory  was 
very  distasteful  to  Mrs.  Akme,  who  was  a  very 
proper  society  woman:  after  much  hesitation, 


CHIMS    DEBUT  119 

however,  it  was  conceded  that  Mrs.  Odic  could 
come,  unattended  by  her  spirit-complement, 
which  was  rather  unfair.  But  she  made  up  for 
two,  any  day,  although  she  was,  as  it  were, 
only  tolerated;  one  might  say,  "on  trial"  or 
"good  behavior." 

Mrs.  Turvey-Topsey  was  a  very  able 
Christian  scientist,  who  had  published  a  mon 
ograph  on  the  all-sustaining  effect  of  the  will 
power,  and  its  transcending  potency  over  dis 
ease,  which  is  only  an  expression  of  weakness. 
Her  doctrines  led  her  directly  into  the  specu 
lations  of  the  Adepts;  and  she  had  no  difficulty 
in  accepting  their  conclusions. 

Miss  Featherweight  held  that  the  universal 
panacea  for  all  the  ills  mortals  fall  heir  to  is 
fasting,  which  was  alike  good  for  flesh  and 
spirit,  and  that  the  mind  triumphed  just  as  the 
body  wasted.  Her  belief  harmonized  with 
that  of  the  Adepts,  who  found  no  objection  to 
her  affiliation  in  their  midst. 

Dr.  Mensana,  who  pooh-poohed  at  the  very 
unprofessional  opinions  of  both  Mrs.  Turvey- 


120  CHIM 

Topscy  and  Miss  Featherweight,  only  consented 
to  become  an  Adept  in  such  company  because 
he  expected  to  convert  them,  with  the  rest  of 
the  ,\vorld,  to  his  wonderful  discoveries  con 
cerning  the  origin  of  microbes  and  the  Elixir 
of  Life.  He  felt  that  these  additions  to  the 
sum  of  human  knowledge  were  rather  in  the 
nature  of  revelations,  and  were  destined  to 
revolutionize  the  present  order  of  things.  Of 
course,  when  there  was  a  sure  prophylactic  for 
the  prevention  of  disease,  and  a  life-giving 
fluid  that  would  prolong  existence  beyond  the 
allotted  days  of  Methuselah,  conditions  must 
change.  He  had  not  the  slightest  doubt  that 
the  Mahatmas  could  live  a  thousand  years  in 
a  state  of  perpetual  youth. 

General  Alibi's  theories  of  the  mode  of  con 
ducting  war,  so  as  to  evolve  out  of  threatened 
dangers  a  state  of  perpetual  peace  and  bring 
about  a  millennium  of  brotherly  love,  he  exem 
plified  in  his  own  proper  person.  He  was 
mild,  persuasive  and  suave,  and  so  necessary 
to  keep  the  wheels  of  government  well  oiled, 


CHIMS    DEBUT  121 

that  he  had  for  many  years  been  stationed  at 
Washington,  where  he  was  constantly  needed 
to  explain  the  art  of  war  and  sit  on  court- 
martials. 

He  certainly  was  an  adept  at  holding  the 
scales  of  justice  evenly  balanced,  without  tips. 

Then  there  was  Mr.  Epicene,  who  had  gov 
ernmental  theories  that  the  world's  progress 
was  retarded  by  the  exhibition  of  too  much 
masculine  power,  and  that  the  vital  magnetic 
influence  should  rather  proceed  from  the 
female  sex.  He  held  that  the  best  way  to 
neutralize  disturbing  forces  and  restore  the 
needful  equipoise,  was  to  let  the  women  rule 
the  state,  so  as  to  leave  the  men  more  at  lib 
erty  to  exercise  the  higher  faculties  of  con 
templation  and  scientific  development. 

Now,  curiously  enough,  Mrs.  Epicene  illus 
trated  his  theory  as  she  came  in,  as  the  ninth 
Adept,  having,  as  such,  a  casting  vote,  and  cre 
ating  in  the  management  of  the  society  a  pre 
ponderance  of  femininity. 

Mrs.  Epicene  wore  her  hair  short;  Mr.  Epi- 


122  CHIM 

cene  wore  his  hair  long.  She  affected  natty, 
trim,  tailor-made  suits,  and  he  liked  slouch}- 
clothes,  which,  touching  him  nowhere,  did  not 
distract  him  in  his  reveries.  His  features  were 
mild  and  composed,  and  hers  pronounced  and 
aggressive,  so  that  when  they  were  both  seated 
in  any  company,  this  peculiar  effect  was  pro 
duced,  that  people  were  incessantly  mixing 
them  up,  and  mistaking  Mister  for  Mrs.  and 
the  one  It  for  t'other  It. 

This  confusion  of  identity  caused  no  little 
merriment  outside  of  the  circle  of  Adepts,  and 
among  the  scoffing  because  ignorant  Unil- 
Iniuinatcd,  if  a  new  word  can  be  coined  to  ex 
press  that  circle  and  sphere  of  the  uninitiated. 

When  this  assembly  was  seated  it  was  in 
deed  a  goodly  company,  and  one  representing 
as  many  divergences  as  the  points  of  the  com 
pass,  or  the  emblems  that  do  environ  the 
grades  of  Adonhiram. 

Professor  Wissy-Wassy  claimed  that  their 
order  of  Adepts  was  most  ancient  of  the  an 
cient,  and  could  be  directly  traced  to  the  very 


CHIM'S    DEBUT  123 

root  of  the  genealogical  tree:  even  to  Phaleg 
who  was  the  son  of  Heber,  whose  father  was 
the  son  of  Arphaxad,  who  was  the  oldest  son  of 
Noah. 

Therefore  this  society  represented  Shem, 
Cham,  and  Japhet. 

Now  when  these  archaical  Adepts  were  all 
seated  in  a  mystical  horse-shoe  shape,  and 
Mrs.  Akme  was  about  to  ask  the  professor 
properly  to  introduce  Chim,  much  to  her  dis 
gust  the  giddy  wheel  of  fashion  rotated  their 
way,  and  sent  them  a  score  or  more  of  its  vo 
taries.  Amongst  the  number,  there  came  a 
carriage  full  of  the  interesting  family  of  mil 
lionaires  who  needs  must  run  after  every  new 
sensation,  and  who  had  left  their  own  dinner 
table,  asking  their  guests  to  excuse  them,  and 
amuse  themselves  playing  billiards,  while  they 
met  an  engagement  at  Mrs.  Akme's. 

So  there  entered  Mr.  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  a 
genial,  somewhat  bald-headed,  oldish  man,  Mrs. 
La  Fayette  de  Noo,  of  an  age  impossible  to 
conjecture,  Miss  Marie  Jeanne  La  Fayette  de 


124  CHIM 

Noo,  and  the  young  son,  Mr.  Marquis  La  Fay- 
ctte  de  Noo,  and  following  this  family  ava 
lanche,  besides  those  already  arrived,  were  a 
western  member  of  Congress,  and  a  foreign 
minister  who  was  desirous  of  learning  English 
"as  she  is  spoke,"  and  several  others  who 
sauntered  in  trusting  to  be  entertained,  and  sure 
anyhow  of  obtaining  a  good  supper,  which  was 
about  all  the  cultivation  of  the  inner  man  these 
miserable  grovelers  aspired  to. 

At  last  quiet  being  restored,  for  it  is  impossi 
ble  for  any  deliberative  body  except  the  House 
of  Representatives  to  effect  important  results 
in  a  hubbub,  Professor  Wissy-Wassy  stepped 
upon  a  small  raised  dais  in  an  alcove,  and  gave 
Mrs.  Akme  to  understand  that  he  was  now 
ready  formally  to  present  Chim. 

There  was  a  discrowned  marble  pedestal  in 
this  alcove,  upon  which  it  was  intended  to 
place  the  skye-terrier,  during  his  little  speech. 
But  Chim,  who  was  apt  to  be  wilful,  and  have 
a  mind  of  his  own,  finding  the  marble  hard  and 
cold,  at  once  jumped  down  and  ran  back  to 


CHIMS    DEBUT  125 

Alma,  taking  no  more  heed  of  the  Mahatmas 
than  if  he  were  an  ordinary  mortal.  But  Alma, 
with  perfect  tact,  at  this  awkward  juncture, 
quietly  taking  him  in  her  arms,  firmly  replaced 
him  on  his  undesired  pinnacle,  and  standing 
back  of  him,  she  held  him  down  in  a  way  that 
made  him  quite  understand  that  he  was  to  stay 
where  she  placed  him. 

So,  at  last,  without  further  loss  of  time,  the 
Professor  had  cleared  his  throat  to  begin,  when 
Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  who  had  been  mali 
ciously  informed  it  was  "a  performance,"  and 
who  was  over-anxious  to  keep  the  diplomat 
who  sat  next  her  duly  informed,  tapped  him 
on  the  arm  and  said  in  a  distinct  undertone, 
"  The  show,  Monsheer,  is  about  to  begin." 
Whereupon  she  leveled  a  big  opera  glass  as 
straight  at  poor  Chim  as  if  it  had  been  a  gun, 
when  her  promising  son  and  heir,  Mr.  Marquis 
La  Fayette  de  Noo,  rose  to  his  feet  and  brought 
his  glass  to  bear  upon  Alma,  exclaiming,  "  Ton 
honor,  she's  a  daisy." 

Lennox  started,  but  Mrs.  Akme,who  had  also 


126  CIIIM 

heard  it,  put  her  hand  upon  his  arm,  holding 
him  back.  The  Professor  glared  at  the  offend 
ers,  and  every  Adept  turned  round  and  frowned 
them  down,  and  they  accordingly  subsided. 
Now,  amidst  awful  silence,  the  Professor  said: 
"  Mahatmas  and  Adepts,  it  is  my  privilege,  in 
compliance  with  the  request  of  our  hostess  and 
worthy  Adept,  to  call  your  attention  to  a  mar 
velous  embodiment  of  the  law  of  successive 
reincarnation.  Here  is  an  astounding  instance 
of  the  Karmic  complication,  in  the  earth-life  of 
the  occult  being  before  you,  at  present  bearing 
the  name  of  Chim.  He  represents  the  Nemesis 
of  the  previous  existence  of  an  absolute  mate 
rialist,  one  whose  materialism  \vas  so  gross  that 
no  spiritual  ray  could  penetrate;  and  it  will  nowr, 
as  we  have  reason  to  know,  require  at  least 
one  hundred  centuries  of  cyclic  changes,  which 
Chim  is  now  undergoing,  in  order  to  revive  the 
latent  spirit  of  the  once  conscious  soul.  Un 
der  this  all-prevailing  Karmic  law,  behold  this 
shell—" 

"  I  bet  anv  one  in  this  room  a  thousand  dol- 


CHIM'S     DEBUT  I2/ 

lars  to  one,  and  will  put  the  chink  down,  that  he 
is  a  dog,"  vehemently  interrupted  Mr.  La  Fay- 
ette  de  Noo,  jumping  up. 

"  Fere  "  (pronounced  pare],  said  Miss  La  Fay- 
ette  de  Noo,  who  had  been  educated  in  Paris, 
pulling  her  impulsive  parent  down,  and  whis 
pering  acutely  right  into  his  unwilling  ear, 
"  shut,  up,  and  don't  make  a  fool  of  yourself,  as 
mere  (pronounced  mare)  and  Marquis  have 
just  done  " — whereupon  the  pere,  turning  very 
red,  so  effectually  did  "  shut  up  "  that  he  never 
spoke  another  word  that  evening. 

"  This  shell"  repeated  the  Professor,  em 
phasizing  the  word,  "  may  require  one  hundred 
thousand  cycles  to  develop  it  into  a  Buddha, 
for  the  constantly  recurring  danger  exists,  that 
upon  each  reincarnation,  some  vicious  ele 
ment  may  be  introduced  that  may  cause  the 
astral  eidolon  to  disintegrate.  Occultism 
teaches  us  that  the  element  called  instinct, 
which  this  very  intelligent  skye-terrier  possess 
es,  is  a  thinking  principle, which  we  must  respect. 
Owing  to  the  entire  loss  of  memory  incident  to 


128  CHIM 

successive  reincarnations,  we  can  have  no  accu 
rate  knowledge  of  the  previous  personal  ego  of 
Chim,  so  as  to  ascertain  why  he  should  at  pres 
ent  be  thus  potentially  ensouled  in  the  canine 
physical  body.  Yet  we  have  every  reason  to 
hope,  that  by  the  time  he  will  have  had  one 
million  lives — "  at  this,  the  disgusted  Marquis 
interjected  a  very  significant  "Bosh  /" 

Lennox  again  started,  but  Mrs.  Akme,  who 
was  very  pale,  whispered  to  him,  "  It  is  intol 
erable,  but  beneath  our  notice." 

"  Yes,  I  say,  one  million  lives,"  repeated  the 
professor  emphatically,  "  before  he  may  be  re 
stored  to  Devatchan,  and  aspire,  out  of  this  state 
of  mental  bliss,  finally  to  reach  Nirvana  by  the 
time  another  million  million  cycles  shall  be  run. 
The  ancient  sages  confirm  us  in  this  opinion 
— Plato,  Pythagoras  and  a  procession  of  others. 
Meantime,  our  present  duty  is  to  treat  this  in 
teresting  being  with  respect,  for  I  have  vari 
ous  reasons,  which  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  di 
vulge,  for  the  assertion  that  it  is  my  belief 
that  at  one  time  during  his  previous  planes  of 


CHJM'S   DEBUT  129 

existence  he  was  a  learned  pundit,  and  yet, 
to  this  day,  his  poor  phantasmal  body  bears 
some  semblance  of  it." 

At  this,  the  prolonged  constraint,  the  Pro 
fessor's  deep  voice,  and  the  chilling  cold  mar 
ble  upon  which  he  sat,  so  acted  upon  Chim's 
sensitive  nerves,  that  he  set  up  a  loud,  pro 
longed,  most  dismal  howl. 

This  discordant  sound  reacted  upon  the 
super-sensitiveness  of  Mrs.  Odic,  who  called 
out  in  a  still  louder  voice,  "  I  feel  within  my 
higher  nature  the  dual  principle  and  the  an 
tagonisms  of  the  masculine  and  the  feminine, 
for  I  was  once  in  a  previous  incarnation  a  great 
warrior;  then  I  was  Cleopatra,  and  I  also  have 
a  dreamy  reminiscence,  approaching  to  an  ab 
normal  vision,  that  in  previous  births  I  was  an 
eagle." 

"  A  real,  live,  American  flap-doodle  eagle  ?  " 
asked  the  irrepressible  Marquis. 

Giving  the  unlucky  wight  a  look  as  piercing 
as  the  talons  of  that  bird  of  prey,  the  lady 
stalked  up  to  Chim,  who  was  now  curled  up  in 


130  CHIM 

Alma's  arms,  and  stroking  him,  said,  "  my  last 
incarnation,"  when  Chim,  who  was  not  in  affin 
ity,  simply  scratched  her,  and  growled,  saying 
plainer  than  words,  "hands  off,"  whereupon 
she  mentally  ejaculated,  "the  nasty  wretch," 
but  checking  herself,  turned  to  the  audience 
and  announced  that  "a  phantom  hand  beck 
oned  her  to  the  supper  room,"  adding,  "  when 
the  double  in  that  dog  is  once  separated  from 
his  present  unworthy  vehicle,  every  unpleasant 
remembrance,  as  in  my  own  case,  will  be  ob 
literated.  Such  is  my  terrestrial  experience." 

The  professor  now  offered  his  arm  to  Mrs. 
Akme;  Lennox  Montague  was  happy  in  secur 
ing  Alma,  who,  leading  Chim  by  his  blue  rib 
bon,  went  into  the  supper  room.  And  Chim's 
phosphorescent  eyes  fairly  gleamed  as  he  be 
held  the  feast. 

After  Mrs.  Akme  had  retired  to  her  room 
that  night,  a  desperate  spiritual  combat  was 
hers.  An  understratum  of  common  sense  in 
her  nature  rebelled  against  the  absurd  conse 
quences  of  theories,  whose  illusions  were  suffi- 


CHIM'S  DEBUT     .  131 

ciently  captivating,  until  some  attempt  was 
made  to  put  them  into  practice. 

The  bold  statements  of  Mrs.  Odic  were  too 
palpable  when  asserted  as  facts,  for  they  be 
longed  rather  to  the  domain  of  philosophical 
speculation,  and  the  brazen  manner  of  the  wo 
man  was  repellent  to  her  finer  perceptions. 

Nor  had  the  meeting  been  characterized  by 
tjiat  breadth  and  repose  of  philosophical  dis 
quisition  she  had  expected. 

It  was  true  that  the  De  Noo's  had  unexpect 
edly  introduced  a  plebeian  element,  for  which 
she  was  not  prepared,  which  had  chilled  all 
enthusiasm. 

But  even  this  she  could  better  overlook  than 
the  manifest  great  material  enjoyment  of  the 
supper  by  the  Adepts,  which  scandalized  her. 
Would  it  not  be  better  to  disband  the  society 
and  pursue  her  investigations  under  the  guid 
ance  of  Professor  Wissy-Wassy  ? 


CHAPTER  VI 

CHIM   AND   THE   LA  FAYETTE    DE   NOO'S 

THE  La  Fayette  de  Noo  family,  who  attend 
ed  the  meeting  of  the  Adepts,  must  be  spoken 
of  with  great  respect,  for  they  were  awfully 
rich.  It  quite  takes  one's  breath  away  to  men 
tion  how  rich  they  were,  but  millions  and  mil 
lions  of  American  dollars — which  are  more  than 
billions  and  billions  of  French  francs,  or  tril 
lions  and  trillions  of  German  pfennigs — were 
scraped  together  out  of  an  original  nothing  by 
the  head  of  the  family. 

When  this  extraordinarily  lucky  man  first 
started  to  "  make  his  pile  "  his  only  capital  was 
a  pile  of  bricks,  of  which  he  was  the  strong, 
hefty  hod-carrier. 

At  that  time  his  fellows  familiarly  dubbed 
him  Larry  Noo,  nor  was  he,  poor  man,  in  any 

way  responsible  for  the  heavy  weight  of  name 
132 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        133 

his  family  later  on  forced  him  to  carry,  as  the 
result  of  their  Parisian  training. 

That  infliction  was  rather  his  misfortune  than 
his  fault. 

The  daughter  had  been  called  Mary  Jane, 
after  her  mother,  and  the  one  boy  was  chris 
tened  Mark,  but  during  quite  a  prolonged  stay 
in  France,  the  ladies,  preparatory  to  their  re 
turn  to  America,  made  various  changes,  need 
ed  to  give  expression  to  their  changed  circum 
stances. 

They  knew  that  Larry  Noo  would  always 
stick  to  his  surname,  but  that  was  so  decorated 
under  their  hands  as  to  give  it  a  really  distin 
guished  sound.  Mr.  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  Mrs. 
La  Fayette  de  Noo,  Miss  Marie  Jeanne  La 
Fayette  de  Noo,  and  for  the  crowning  point, 
Marquis  (alas,  poor  Mark  !)  La  Fayette  de 
Noo.  These  ancestral  names  could  be  rolled 
out  in  euphonious  waves  of  sound  by  flunkies, 
and  could  be  appropriately  illustrated  by  the 
strictest  heraldic  law. 

It  was  one  of  those  felicitous  changes  which 


134  CHI.M 

suited  everybody — for  the  incumbents  liked  it, 
and  the  world  had  its  laugh. 

It  was  the  old  story,  of  people  suddenly 
raised  to  a  height,  forgetting  that  society  is 
sure  to  get  accurate  information  as  to  their  an 
tecedents  while  they  are  strutting  in  borrowed 
plumage.  No  stupidity  equals  it  but  that  of 
the  ostrich,  who,  with  his  head  craned  into  the 
sand,  imagines  that  he  has  hidden  his  ungainly 
bulk  of  frame  from  view. 

The  talent  of  money-making,  which  is  not  a 
very  high  form  of  intellectual  development, 
but  which  is,  nevertheless,  a  peculiar  gift  inhe 
rent,  for  instance,  with  the  Jews,  is  also  given 
to  a  wonderful  extent  to  many  Americans. 

A  large  number  of  our  citizens  actually  do 
carve  out  princely  fortunes  by  their  own  indi 
vidual  force,  energy  and  sagacity,  and  at  times, 
too,  distribute  these  earnings  in  munificent 
charities. 

In  a  country  where  the  theory  is  that  labor 
is  honorable,  one  would  suppose  that  the  rich 
who  have  risen  from  the  obscurity  of  poverty 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        135 

would  be  anxious  to  have  the  extent  of  their 
efforts  appreciated,  yet  this  is  rarely  the  case. 

Then,  too,  by  a  certain  law  of  compensation, 
the  very  people  who  have  amassed  riches, 
when  they  aim  to  get  a  social  standing,  are  apt 
to  expose  themselves  to  ridicule  by  their  igno 
rance  of  the  laws  of  good  breeding. 

And  what  makes  their  lapses  in  this  direction 
ajmost  hopeless  is,  that  they  really  don't  know 
that  they  don't  know. 

Yet  the  intuition  of  Americans  is  surprising 
ly  quick,  and  the  children  of  these  blundering 
parents  grow  up  to  understand  social  forms, 
while  their  children  often  have  the  most  refined 
perceptions. 

This,  then,  is  literally  what  is  meant  by  the 
accepted  tradition  that  it  takes  three  genera 
tions  to  make  a  lady  or  a  gentleman. 

But  now,  again,  the  law  of  compensation 
comes  in,  and  as  we  happily  have  no  binding 
law  of  primogeniture,  by  the  time  a  big  fortune 
has  been  divided  so  many  times  these  refined 
descendants  are  no  longer  rich. 


136  CHIM 

Let  us  be  thankful  that  among  us  there  is  no 
hope  of  permanency  outside  of  personal  effort, 
and  no  place,  as  in  monarchical  countries,  for 
generations  of  drones. 

But  while  we  are  taking  our  turn  in  this 
merry-go-round,  there  is  nothing  to  prevent 
our  laughing  at  those  who  ride  on  top  if  they 
make  mistakes. 

It  is  just  as  well,  when  the  breeze  blows 
strong,  not  to  let  too  many  streamers  fly  to 
the  wind  !  Mais  revenons  a  nos  moutons.  There 
is  no  husband  so  indulgent  as  the  American, 
and  Larry  Noo  was  no  exception  to  the  gen 
eral  rule. 

While  his  wife  and  two  children  remained 
abroad  several  years  he  was  hard  at  work,  en 
gaged  in  various  enterprises,  and  always  roll 
ing  up  money  with  a  sure  judgment  that  never 
missed  its  aim. 

His  instinct,  like  that  of  the  ferret,  was  in 
born,  and  when  he  failed  to  unearth,  it  was 
not  worth  the  trying. 

And    Larry   had    a   talent,  still    rarer  than 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        137 

money-making — he  knew  when  to  stop,  for  just 
as  he  had  gained  life's  meridian  he  decided  to 
quit  work  and  enjoy  himself. 

But  now  he  was  about  to  try  something 
more  difficult  than  "the  rule  of  three"  and 
compound  interest. 

Let  us  see  how  he  managed. 

His-  family  had  then  been  five  years  in 
Europe — sight-seeing,  shopping,  and  always 
moving  about,  without  knowing  or  caring 
much  where  they  went,  or  what  they  saw, 
when  the  summons  came  to  return  home,  that 
he  had  bought  a  big  house  in  Washington,  and 
wanted  them  in  it.  He  had  gotten  in  the  habit 
of  writing  in  a  business  way,  and  with  no  waste 
of  words. 

The  family  were  "  doing  "  Rome  and  plan 
ning  an  expedition  to  Palestine,  when  Mrs. 
Noo  received  her  recall — it  read  as  follows : 

Dear  Mary  Jane : — 

When  you  get  this,  mother,  make  a  bee-line  for 
home,  and  pack  up  your  duds  and  the  children  along 
with  them. 


138  CHIM 

I'm  tired  watching  the  market  and  scooping  in 
money,  and  am  ready  to  stop  and  have  a  good  time, 
and  give  a  chance  to  the  under  fellow  to  make  his  pile. 

I've  bought  a  house  in  the  capital  of  this  biggest  of 
nations,  and  I've  given  you  credit  enough  with  my 
London  bankers  to  buy  all  the  knick-knacks  and  gim- 
cracks,  and  pictures  by  the  yard,  and  statuary  by  the 
foot  you  have  a  mind  to. 

But  do  be  quick  about  it,  for  I'm  lonesome  now,  and 
I  don't  wish  to  go  to  Europe,  as  you  ask  me  to,  for  I 
don't  care  a  rappee  what  they  are  doing  over  there,  or 
how  those  fellows  of  noblemen  are  getting  along  in 
their  musty  palaces.  Why,  mother,  me  and  you  and 
Sis  and  Mark  are  better  off  than  the  lot  of  them. 
Yours  and  yours  always, 

Larry. 

"Sure  enough,"  said  Mrs.  Noo  reflectively, 
when  she  read  this  epistle,  "  Larry's  losing  his 
head  to  write  such  a  long  letter,  but  children, 
when  pop  says  it,  he  means  it,  and  we  must 
hurry  up  home." 

"  I  shall  take  my  time,  all  the  same,"  replied 
Miss,  tossing  her  head. 

But  straight  to  Paris  they  went,  for  there 
was  no  end  of  selections  to  make,  as  Mrs.  Noo 
felt  quite  sure  they  could  get  "  nothing  decent " 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        139 

in  America.  Only  yesterday  she  had  over 
heard  the  Count  Champsfleurs  declare  it  was 
"  a  land  of  savages !  " 

One  day  in  particular,  after  some  hours'  shop 
ping  in  a  certain  etablissenient,  the  purchases 
were  so  enormous,  and  so  far  exceeded  any 
thing  in  the  experience  of  the  house,  that  there 
was  a-  consultation  at  headquarters  about  it, 
and  the  proprietor  thought  it  safest  to  cable 
very  quietly  to  J.  S.  Morgan  &  Co.,  the  London 
bankers  of  these  Americans  as  to  the  genuine 
ness  of  their  credit  before  filling  their  orders. 

But  there  is  a  limit  to  the  good  nature  of 
even  an  American  millionaire,  who  perhaps 
scarcely  knows,  himself,  how  much  he  is  worth, 
and  when  these  energetic  shoppers  had  drawn 
upon  a  credit  of  some  $200,000,  they  got  a 
cablegram  signed  "  Larry." 

"  Come  home — no  more  credit." 

"  I'm  only  half  dressed,"  complained  Mary 
Jane. 

"That's all  the  fashion,  Sis,"  suggested  Mark. 


140  CHIM 

"I'm  glad  of  it,"  said  the  mother,  "for  all 
this  shopping  business  is  tiresome." 

The  next  steamer  brought  them  to  New 
York,  but  at  one  time  it  looked  as  if  they 
would  have  to  spend  their  first  "  season  "  at  the 
Custom  House.  In  fact,  it  required  the  busi 
ness  training  of  the  father  to  extricate  them 
from  the  huge  mass  of  their  luggage. 

"  You  may  thank  your  stars,  mother,"  said 
her  affectionate  husband,  giving  his  wife  a  hearty 
hug  of  welcome,  "that  the  house  in  Washing 
ton  is  big  enough  to  hold  all  these  fixings." 

"But  what's  up  with  Sis  ?"  said  he;  "she's 
mightily  changed." 

"  She's  not  foreign  born'd,"  said  his  wife,  "  but 
Sis's  traveled."  Sure  enough  she  was,  for  to 
send  a  young  girl  abroad  with  plenty  of  money 
and  not  much  education  is  a  sad  mistake.  The 
young  lady  was  shocked  at  the  plain  ways  of 
her  father,  and  at  once  "  made  up  her  mind  to 
keep  him  clown  to  where  he  ought  to  be."  "  It 
is  easy  to  see,"  she  said  to  Mark,  "that  his 
rough  talk  will  upset  our  gentility." 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOG'S        14! 

Well,  they  were  a  trio  of  conspirators  against 
poor  Larry;  all  determined  "to  teach  him 
manners." 

Let  those  who  complain  of  restricted  means 
remember  that  there  is  no  end  to  the  worries 
of  the  rich. 

From  the  outset  of  our  millionaire's  trying  to 
enjoy -his  gains,  he  was  like  a  fish  out  of  water. 
He  loved  his  wife  and  children,  and  during  all 
these  long  years  had  toiled  and  planned  to 
place  them  where  they  were,  and  yet  he  had 
only  brought  about  a  state  of  incredible  loneli 
ness  for  himself. 

Before  his  family  joined  him,  and  while  he 
was  still  busy  rolling  up  wealth,  as  he  once 
fell  asleep  over  the  endless  rows  of  figures,  he 
could  remember  having  dreamed  that  he  was 
in  a  vault,  about  to  be  crushed  by  toppling 
money  bags  filled  with  silver — oh,  how  heavy 
they  were  ! — while  he  could  hear  the  sound  of 
feasting  and  merriment  in  his  palatial  halls 
above. 

Was  there  no  premonition  of  his  future  suffer- 


142  CHIM 

ings  in  this  dream  ?  And  yet  for  genuine  hos 
pitality  no  one  gave  of  his  substance  more 
freely  than  he,  for  he  was  the  typical  American 
money-spender  of  the  riches  that  come  easily 
and  go  easily. 

After  the  shock  of  the  first  meeting  follow 
ing  their  long  separation,  so  changed  did  he 
find  them  all  that  it  was  a  relief  to  let  them 
hurry  on  to  Washington  and  take  possession 
of  the  new  home,  while  he  remained  in  New 
York  for  some  ten  days,  to  attend  to  ten  thou 
sand  and  one  things. 

As  he  saw  them  off  in  the  cars,  he  stood  in 
a  daze,  segar  in  mouth,  and  hat  slouched  over 
his  eyes.  "  Where's  the  dear  mother?  (it  was 
his  old  habit  to  address  his  wife  as  mother); 
where's  my  Mary  Jane,  who  used  to  bounce 
into  my  arms  for  kisses  when  I  came  home  ? 
where's  my  free  and  easy-going  Mark  ?  Why, 
they've  come  home  from  their  travels  as  stiff 
as  if  they'd  stood  under  that  Mt.  Vesuvius  I've 
read  about,  and  got  covered  with  its  lava  and 
stuck.  Larry  Noo  has  a  great  mind  to  throw 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        143 

his  money  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  and  begin 
again,"  and  as  he  thus  spoke  of  himself  in  the 
third  person,  he  laughed  a  bitter  laugh. 

Some  ten  days  later  a  Washington  cab  drove 
up  to  a  splendid  house  in  the  West  End,  and 
a  tired  man,  holding  a  satchel  in  his  hand,  got 
out,  and  rang  the  door-bell. 

It  was  early  evening,  and  the  mansion  was 
ablaze  with  gaslights.  A  liveried  flunkey, 
wearing  a  powdered  wig,  blue  coat  with  crim 
son  facings,  knee  breeches,  and  low  shoes  with 
silver  buckles,  opened  the  door.  He  bowed 
low,  for  the  master  was  expected. 

"  Lord  bless  me  !  "  thought  Larry,  somewhat 
taken  by  surprise,  "  this  must  be  at  least  one 
of  them  foreign  dooks  Mary  Jane  wrote  me 
about.  But  I'm  told  they're  as  thick  as  black 
berries  where  there's  a  rich  girl  around  ;  and 
he  sha'n't  have  her,  that's  flat.  But  I'll  be 
polite  in  my  own  house  as  the  best  of  them." 
So  thinking,  he  at  once  exclaimed: 

"How  do  you  do,  sir?  I  beg  your  pardon, 
Mr.  Dook  !  "  shaking  him  effusively  by  both 


144  CHIM 

hands.  "  Glad  to  see  you,  hope  you'll  come 
again." 

The  flunkey  bowed  still  lower,  but  said  not 
a  word;  not  even  "Mon  Dieu  /"  or  "Sacre  !" 

"  Confound  the  fellow,"  thought  Larry,  flush 
ing;  "has  he  no  tongue  in  that  big  head  he 
wags  so  ? " 

At  this  moment  the  inner  hall  door  opened, 
and  the  French  butler  in  full  dress  suit,  white 
cravat,  white  gloves,  and  patent  leather  pumps, 
bowed  low,  saying  as  he  did  so,  in  deferential 
tone,  "  Monsieur." 

"  Ho,  ho,"  thought  Larry.  "  There's  a  brace 
of  them  ;  this  is  the  French  Minister  for  certain, 
who's  heard  that  mother's  just  come  over  with 
a  ship-load  of  things  from  Paris."  So  he  again 
shook  hands  warmly,  and  was  just  saying, 
"  Don't  stand  on  ceremony,"  when  Mary  Jane, 
who  was  sweeping  past  in  a  rose-colored  silk, 
trainee,  catching  a  glimpse  of  what  was  going 
on,  and  divining  the  rest,  made  a  dash  for  the 
head  of  the  family,  and  too  angry  to  speak, 
fairly  dragged  him  after  her,  to  mother's  room. 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        145 

As  they  entered  Madame  sat  before  a  huge 
cheval-glass,  enduring  some  last  touches,  or 
crowning  frizzles  to  her  hair,  at  the  hands  of  a 
neat  French  maid,  who  wore  a  dainty  cap  which 
was  Mark's  admiration. 

Madame  looked  around,  and  there  stood  her 
husband,  actually  trembling  like  a  culprit — he 
who  could  have  "  made  a  corner,"  and  ruled 
the  Stock  Exchange — while  her  daughter,  as  if 
fearful  he  might  escape,  had  not  relaxed  her 
hold. 

The  son,  hearing  a  movement  of  some  sort, 
had  stepped  out  of  the  smoking-room,  where 
he  was  lounging,  and  followed  them  in. 

"  Allez-en-voos"  said  Madame  to  the  maid, 
pointing  to  the  door,  and  she  went.  Madame's 
French  was  mythical,  peculiar,  and  pantomimic, 
but  it  was  a  luxury  she  would  indulge  in. 

"  Pop's  disgraced  the  family,"  Sis  blurted 
out,  "and  I  don't  care  to  live." 

"  Fudge!"  said  Mark,  "what's  the  tomfool 
ery  ?  The  governor's  all  right.  Let  him  alone, 
I  say." 


146  CHIM 

"God  bless  you,  my  boy,"  said  Larry  with 
a  tear  in  his  eye;  that  clear  gray  eye  that  may 
have  grown  dim,  but  never  hard,  counting  dol 
lars. 

"  Larry,  what  did  you  do  ?"  asked  his  wife 
kindly. 

"The  clean  thing,  mother,"  said  he  honestly. 
"I  shook  hands  with  two  foreign  ministers 
when  I  came  in,  or  leastwise  one  fellow  may 
have  been  a  dook." 

"  My  husband  !  "  she  groaned,  "  we  are  a  dis 
graced  set — them's  our  French  servants,  our 
valleys  !  " 

"Ha,  ha,"  roared  the  son,  "that's  the  best 
thing  out.  Bully  for  you,  governor  !  "  and  he 
patted  him  on  the  shoulder  approvingly. 

"  French  be  d d  !  "  cried  Larry  as  he  took 

in  the  situation. 

"  All  our  people  are  French  in  this  house," 
said  she  firmly. 

"  Horrible  !  horrible  !"  groaned  Larry,  sinking 
into  the  first  chair,  "  I  shall  starve  outright." 

"  You  must  polly-voos"  said  she. 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        147 

"  Never  a  word  of  their  frog-splitting  palav 
er  !"  shouted  he  vociferously. 

"  I  declare, "interjected  Mark,  "  this'll  be  the 
death  of  me." 

"  You'll  have  to,"  said  mother  decisively, 
slowly,  "  from  now,  henceforth  and  forever,  for 
you've  got  to  be  a  polly-voos  your  own  self." 

"  Mother, "he  said  seriously,  "don't  abuse  me 
before  the  children." 

"  Larry,"  replied  she,  "  don't  take  on  so,  but 
it  has  to  be.  This  family  has  had  a  decision, 
and  to  start  right  from  the  first  fundamentals 
in  this  here  society,  we've  got  to  be  born  again 
as  it  were." 

"  Did  you  all  get  religion  ?  "  interrogated 
Larry  in  a  pitying  tone. 

"I  shall  die,"  giggled  the  son  hysterically. 
"  Did  I  ever  expect  to  live  and  see  such  raring- 
tearing  fun  ?  " 

"You  shut  up, "said  Sis,  who  was  recovering. 
"  Mother,  don't  keep  Pop  on  tenter-hooks." 

"  Out  with  it,  then,"  groaned  the  victim. 

"  It's  just  this,  Larry,"  she    said   coaxingly. 


148  CHIM 

"  We've  all  got  to  air  new  names  to  suit  our 
new  social  atmospheres.  Now  don't  disremem- 
ber  after  you're  told,  but  you  are  Mr.  La  Fayctte 
de  Noo." 

Larry  rose  and  stood  before  her  solemnly. 
"  So  help  me  God,"  he  asseverated,  holding  up 
his  right  hand,  "if  my  mother  played  me  true, 
I  came  into  this  world  plain,  honest,  Larry 
Noo." 

"  No,  you  didn't,"  chimed  all  three  in  chorus, 
Mark  with  a  merry  twinkle  in  his  eye,  "we 
are,  every  mother's  son  of  us,  La  Fayette  de 
Noo's." 

"The  Lord  help  us,  then,  in  the  midst  of  our 
afflictions,"  ejaculated  Larry  devoutly.  He 
had  not  felt  so  pious  for  years. 

"Let  me  introduce  my  noble  parents  to  each 
other,"  interrupted  the  jesting  youth.  "Mrs. 
La  Fayette  de  Noo  this  is  Mr.  La  Fayette  de 
Noo,  or,  familiarly,  the  governor,  and  this  is 
Miss  Marie  Jeanne  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  for  all 
she  don't  look  it,  and  I  am,  ladies  and  gentle 
men,  Mr.  Marquis  La  Fayette  de  Noo." 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        149 

"It's  lucky,"  said  Larry,  with  a  half  woe-be- 
gone,  half  comical  look,  "  that  we  all  changed 
together." 

"  Out,  Pere"  said  Sis. 

"And  am  I  a  pear,  too?"  groaned  Larry. 
"A  green  one,  I  suppose." 

"  Tell  him,  Mere,"  said  Sis,  superciliously. 

"  Don't  call  your  mother  names,"  said  the  in 
dignant  pere. 

Again  the  son  was  in  roars  of  laughter.  "  It's 
better'n  a  play,"  said  he  in  great  glee. 

"  You're  a  fine  young  puppy  for  a  French 
dog  "  said  Larry  approvingly,  and  they  shook 
hands. 

"  Perhaps,  guv'nor,  I'm  the  French  minister," 
suggested  the  dutiful  son. 

"  Now,  none  of  that,"  said  Larry,  getting  red. 

"  But  say,  mother,  when  may  a  man  call 
you  'mother,'  and  Mary  Jane  'Sis'  and  this 
young  popinjay  '  Mark'  ?  I  can't  forget  these 
dear  names." 

Said  the  mother,  "These  names,  Larry,  are 
to  be  strictly  private."' 


150  CHIM 

"One  more  thing,"  added  the  daughter; 
"  if  Pop  won't  or  can't  talk  French,  at  least  he 
ought  to  promise,  on  account  of  the  family  dig 
nity,  to  say  nothing." 

"I'd  rather  be  deaf  and  dumb  till  dooms 
day,"  said  Larry,  "than  wag  an  oily  French 
tongue  in  my  head." 

So  the  family  council  was  over. 

Mr.  La  Fayette  de  Noo  was  made  to  offer 
his  arm  to  Madame,  and  Mr.  Marquis  to  Miss, 
and  they  dined  in  solemn,  silent  state,  after 
which  Larry  Noo  put  on  his  hat,  stuck  his  se- 
gar  in  his  mouth  and  went  to  Welcker's,  where 
he  got  all  he  wanted  for  the  asking,  which  he 
never  could  do  at  home  on  account  of  the  con 
versational  language,  or  want  of  language,  of 
the  family. 

Mary  Jane  builded  better  than  she  knew,  for 
after  this,  society  never  suspected  what  a  good 
roystering,  boon-companion  it  had  lost.  Now 
and  then,  to  be  sure,  under  great  excitement 
he  forgot  himself,  as  at  Mrs.  Akme's  when  he 
had  to  splurt  out  against  that  brazen  lie  of 


CHIM  AM)  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        151 

calling  a  dog  "a  shell."  But  Sis  watched  this 
root  of  the  family  tree,  and  was  at  hand  to  pull 
him  back  behind  his  cruel  iron  mask  of  silence. 
So  senators  and  cabinet  ministers  and  society « 
at  large  admired  him  as  a  wonderful  man  who 
was  so  weighed  down  by  the  fabulous  fortune 
he  had  amassed,  that  he  was  always  absorbed 
in  thought.  He  became  known  and  spoken  of 
as  "  the  silent  man,"  and  one  who  knew  too 
much,  only  no  one  could  draw  him  out.  Well 
he  was  wise,  for  there  was  a  family  secret,  and 
he  hid  it. 

Yet,  now  and  then,  some  spark  of  the  old 
humor  glinted  out,  and  he  had  his  own  joke, 
"in  spite  of  'mother'  and  'sis,'"  and  that 
huge  Kraken  that  overshadowed  his  life — the 
family  dignity. 

One  of  these  practical  jokes  of  his  came 
about  in  this  wise: 

The  La  Fayette  de  Noo  ladies,  who  "on 
principle "  brought  everything  over  from 
France  (they  were  not  Anglomaniacs  but 
Frenchmaniacs),  had  imported  some  superb 


152  CHIM 

carriages,  with  the  panels  emblazoned,  as  Ma 
dame  explained,  "with  their  own  devices." 

Some  days  after  the  arrival  of  \\\&  paterfamil 
ias,  the  family  were  about  to  drive  out  in  a  splen 
did  clarence,  when  just  as  Larry  Noo  had  one  foot 
on  the  carriage-step,  his  attention  was  arrested 
by  the  heraldic  delineation  on  the  door-panel. 

He  stopped  point-blank,  and  designating 
the  object  with  his  forefinger,  inquired  of  Mark, 
"Say,  what's  that?" 

"  Get  in,"  called  out  his  wife,  "and  let  the 
footman  shut  the  door." 

But  in  place  of  getting  in  he  got  out,  and 
Mark  encouraged  him  by  slamming  the  door 
shut,  and  telling  the  man  to  mount  the  box, 
which  the  fellow  did,  of  course. 

"  Now, "said  Mark,  lowering  his  voice,  "  that's 
our  coat-of-arms." 

It  was  a  device  with  sixteen  quarterings  sur 
mounted  by  a  cock  for  a  crest. 

"  He's  a  fine  cock,"  said  Larry  approvingly. 
"  I  suppose  Sis  got  one  of  them  old  masters 
she  talks  about,  to  paint  him." 


CIIIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOG'S        153 

The  unconscionable  son  replied,  "Just  so." 

"  I  see  the  rooster,"  again  interlocuted  the 
father,  "  but  where's  the  coat-of-arms  ?  " 

"  It's  there,  guv'nor,"  said  Mark,  "  only  it's 
painted  in  the  background  of  the  cock,  and 
you  can't  see  it." 

"  I  can  see  well  enough  to  see  you're  a 
young-  cockscomb,"  said  Larry,  who  felt  that 
his  son  was  amusing  himself. 

"No  sir,"  said  this  incorrigible  boy;  "it's 
painted  there  to  show  that  you  are  cock  of  the 
walk.  It's  called  a  crest." 

"The  crest  for  me  is  money  bags,"  said 
Larry.  "  We'll  have  one  full  of  American  silver 
dollars  and  tumbling  out  on  the  crest  of  the  cock." 

Mark  liked  a  joke  any  day  better  than  even 
the  family  dignity,  and  it  was  painted  in  ac 
cordingly.  The  whole  town  had  its  laugh  be 
fore  the  ladies  de  Noo  noticed  the  addition. 
Since  then  the  family  have  been  familiarly 
designated  as  "  money  bags,"  and  when  one 
gets  a  nickname  neither  paint  nor  money  can 
rub  it  out. 


154  CIIIM 

Unlike  Mr.  Buncombe  Hereford,  who  hap 
pily  understood  the  art  of  giving  exclusive  din 
ners,  by  which  his  aims  were  imperceptibly  but 
surely  reached,  and  his  social  prestige  en 
hanced,  the  La  Fayette  de  Noo's  made  the 
usual  mistake  of  the  parvenu,  in  at  once  daz 
zling  the  social  mind  by  entertainments  on  a 
very  magnificent  scale. 

The  social  conditions  of  Washington  are  so 
intertwined  with  the  social- official  life,  and  the 
large  receptions  of  official  magnates  are  so 
regulated  by  an  abnormal  growth,  which  had 
its  origin  under  the  Jackson  dynasty,  that 
Washington  is  the  most  hazardous  of  all  cities 
\\hich  the  wealth  of  Croesus  may  choose  for  its 
exhibition. 

The  crushes  that  follow  promiscuous  invita 
tions  defy  the  limits  of  any  building  other  than 
the  Capitol. 

The  old  residents,  who  dispense  unceasingly 
the  most  graceful  hospitality,  understand  where 
the  quicksands  are,  and  how  to  avoid  them, 
and  they  look  on  the  outside  hurly-burly  of 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        155 

heralded  and  advertised  pageants  with  amused 
comment. 

One  goes  to  the  window  and  sees  the  circus 
as  it  passes,  but  the  show  does  not  enter  your 
house. 

But  these  fine  distinctions  of  the  extrinsic 
and  the  intrinsic  were  precisely  those  that  the 
La  Fayette  de  Noo's  failed  to  discriminate. 

And  then,  as  has  been  said,  when  one  don't 
know,  they  don't  know  that  they  don't  know. 

With  culture  at  a  low  ebb,  and  notions  of 
fine  manners  that  were  original  if  not  elevating, 
they  read  the  wonderful  descriptions  in  all  the 
papers  of  what  they  had  done,  were  doing,  and 
were  going  to  do,  with  unbounded  delight. 

Every  morning  they  gave  audience  to  re 
porters,  who  dilated  most  felicitously  regarding 
all  their  movements,  chronicled  their  gowns, 
their  sumptuous  surroundings,  and,  as  the  time 
drew  near,  described  with  skilled  particularity 
their  arrangements  for  the  coming  big  ball. 

"  Money  can  do  a  heap,"  said  Mrs.  La  Fay 
ette  de  Noo,  and  it  did  purchase  beauty  of 


1 56  CHIM 

form,  and  color,  and  contrast,  and  effect,  all 
but  one  lonely  height  which  it  could  not  reach. 

It  placed  this  family  amid  the  enchantments 
which  the  brain  of  the  gifted  could  create  and 
produce,  but,  having  done  this,  that  was  the 
consummation  and  the  lirfiit;  and  this  treach 
erous  money-demon,  having  carried  the  De 
Noo's  to  a  pinnacle,  and  set  them  thereon  be 
fore  the  world's  gaze,  could  do  no  more. 

The  creative  work  of  redeeming  them  from 
themselves  must  come  from  a  higher  plane. 
Then  the  world,  being  asked  to  look  up,  mock 
ingly  worshiped  from  afar,  bowed  the  cringing 
knee,  and  as  they  did  so  laughed  them  to  scorn. 

The  two  thousand  sent  no  regrets  to  their 
ball,  for  they  \vent  to  be  amused. 

They  ate  their  terrapin,  guzzled  their  seas  of 
champagne,  and  while  doing  so  toasted  them 
as  upstarts,  and  ridiculed  their  unpardonable 
gancJicrics.  Oh,  poverty  of  money  !  oh,  deep 
abasement  of  that  wealth  which  is  God-given 
for  the  uses  of  suffering  humanity  !  oh,  desola 
tion  of  worldliness,  thus  to  reach  your  climax  ! 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        157 

And  oh,  ineffable  discourtesy  of  fashion  !  oh, 
rudeness  of  so-called  refinement  !  oh,  distor 
tion  of  superior  intelligence,  to  descend  to  the 
littleness  of  abusing  that  hospitality  one  ac 
cepts  ! 

The  Arabs  do  better  than  the  spoiled  circles 
of  fashion,  for,  having  once  broken  bread  within 
the  tent-door,  that  precinct  is  sacred. 

All  the  details,  even  to  the  elaborate  and 
profuse  floral  decorations  were  now  completed 
for  the  ball  of  the  season,  and  yet,  such  is  the 
contrariety  of  the  feminine  fancy,  Mrs.  La  Fay- 
ette  de  Noo  was  not  content. 

There  was  one  object  that  she  craved,  and 
could  not  obtain.  To  explain:  That  evening 
when,  in  defiance  of  all  the  proprieties,  the  La 
Fayette  de  Noo's  had  left  their  own  dinner- 
guests  to  amuse  themselves  as  best  they  could, 
and  precipitated  themselves  uninvited  into  the 
salon  Mrs.  Akme  was  holding,  Mrs.  La  Fayette 
de  Noo  determined,  if  money  could  do  it,  to 
own  a  dog  like  Chim. 

She  had  been  told  that  Mrs.  Akme  belonged 


158  CHIM 

to  a  very  old  family,  and  when  s<he  went  home 
that  night  she  at  once  talked  it  over  with  Mary 
Jane. 

She  said  :  "  You  see,  Sis,  it's  the  very  pink 
of  elegance  to  dress  in  white,  like  that  Miss 
did,  and  hold  a  dog  tied  with  a  blue  ribbon, 
and  we'll  copy  after  that  when  we  give  our 
party." 

"That's  so,"  said  Sis,  "only  I  won't  wear 
any  such  plain  white  go\vn,  and  no  jewelry,  like 
she  did — catch  me  doing  it." 

"  We'll  not  fuss  about  the  gown,"  said  the 
mother  ;  "  but  the  dog  we  must  have." 

Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo  had  been  deeply 
impressed  that  evening.  She  went  there  to 
"  take  notes  as  to  how  gentility  acted,"  as  she 
confided  to  Sis,  and  she  "  came  home  in  a 
muddle." 

The  learned  jargon  she  had  not  understood 
one  word  of,  and  no  one  could  blame  her  for 
that ;  the  quiet  dignity  of  Mrs.  Akme,  the  sweet 
simplicity  of  Alma,  and,  above  all,  that  ex 
traordinary  dog,  had  their  influence  with  her. 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        159 

So  she  set  about  in  earnest  to  try  and  get  just 
such  a  dog.  She  went  to  Schmid's ;  she  sent  her 
valet  on  to  explore  New  York.  Then  she  cabled 
to  London  and  Paris,  but  all  in  vain.  Nothing 
could  be  found  at  all  like  her  description.  She 
wanted  a  dog  that  was  "  a  shell,"  (>  that  had  had 
more  lives  than  a  cat,"  that  "sat  upright  at  table, 
drank  tea,  assisted  to  receive,  and  conversed." 

Her  cablegrams  on  the  subject  were  almost 
as  voluminous,  if  not  so  expensive,  as  those  of 
our  late  verbal  war  with  Chili,  and,  like  it, 
without  aggressive  result. 

When  all  else  had  failed,  she  bethought  her 
self  to  advertise  in  the  Washington  Star, 
which  the  city  takes. 

Some  kind  friend  suggested  it,  so  the  follow 
ing  advertisement  appeared  : 

"Wanted,  at  Hotel  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  a 
trained  skye-terrier,  like  Mrs.  Akme's.  The 
price  no  consideration." 

Poor  Mrs.  Akme  did  not  read  the  advertise 
ments  of  the  Star,  although  she  greatly  en- 


l6o  CHIM 

joyed  that  well-conducted  paper,  and  her  aston 
ishment  was  great  the  next  day  to  find  her 
house  an  object  of  the  intense  interest  of  a 
motley  crowd.  At  first  she  feared  a  fire,  and 
sent  Harman  out  in  the  street  to  inspect  the 
building.  The  man  came  in  smiling,  but  re 
ported  "  all  safe." 

The  next  surprise  was,  that  when  she  and 
Alma  and  Chim  attempted  to  drive  out  for  an 
airing,  such  a  lot  of  loafers  rushed  to  the  door 
steps  that  they  all  three  precipitately  retired, 
taking  shelter  within. 

"Really,  Alma,  I  must  send  for  the  police 
and  clear  the  street,"  she  said.  "  I  believe  the 
world's  agog." 

Alma  looked  frightened.  "  Perhaps  they  are 
Mafias,"  she  suggested,  "and  don't  like  the 
Adepts." 

Mrs.  Akme  was  prudent,  and  she  thought  a 
moment.  "  We  will  keep  within  doors,  to-day, 
dear,"  she  said,  "  but  let  Chim  amuse  himself, 
if  he  can,  looking  out  of  the  window,  since  the 
poor  little  dear  must  stay  in." 


CHIM  AND  LA  FAYETTE  DE  NOO'S        l6l 

So  they  let  Chim  look  out,  who  got  very 
much  displeased  and  barked  violently. 

Being  of  an  aristocratic  breed,  naturally  he 
disapproved  of  tramps.  It's  queer  how  dogs 
discriminate.  Later  he  got  sleepy,  and  did 
not  dine  with  them;  in  fact,  they  had  never  seen 
him  so  drowsy  as  he  became  after  Harman  had 
given  him  five  o'clock  tea. 

"A  wonderful  creature,"  said  Mrs.  Akme, 
"  he  looks  like  an  opium-eater." 

So  he  was  put  to  bed,  and  they  dined  with 
out  him. 

That  evening  Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  be 
ing  at  dinner,  received  a  mysterious  message. 

She  at  once  hurriedly  arose,  without  think 
ing  to  excuse  herself,  which  was  a  courtesy 
she  ignored  at  all  times.  A  man  enveloped 
in  a  long  cloak  stood  in  the  hall. 

"  I  bring  you,  madame,"  said  he,  "the  twin- 
brother  of  Chim.  His  name  is  the  same,  and 
so  is  his  education.  At  present  he  sleeps  from 
fatigue.  By  morning  he  will  be  all  right." 


162  CHIM 

Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo  trembled  with  de 
light.  "The  price?"  she  said,  taking  Chim  in 
her  arms. 

"  He  is  priceless,"  answered  the  man,"  "but 
to  you,  madame,  who  will  treat  him  kindly,  I 
will  sell  him  for  five  hundred  dollars." 

"Alceste"  she  called,  " /c  grand  bourse — 
inteT 

In  another  moment,  the  maid  Annette  had 
handed  the  lackey  a  fat  porte-monnaic,  when 
the  money  was  quickly  paid  the  fellow,  for 
fear  he  might  change  his  mind,  Mrs.  La  Fa 
yette  de  Noo  meanwhile  holding  on  to  the 
dog. 

The  man  counted  the  money,  and  without 
saying  another  word  went  away. 


CHAPTER   VII 
CHIM'S  LOSS  AND  WHAT  CAME   OF  IT 

MRS.  AKME  and  Alma  dined  alone  on  that 
eventful  day,  made  all  the  more  gloomy  by 
the  absence  of  Chim  at  the  prandial  feast,  to 
which  he  always  added  a  zest;  as,  like  most 
people  of  fashion,  he  was  at  his  best  while  dis 
cussing  a  good  dinner,  for  it  is  an  acknowl 
edged  fact  that  there  is  an  "upper  ten,"  and 
"a  four  hundred"  among  dogs  as  well  as  in 
"high  life." 

"I  am  unable,"  said  Mrs.  Akme,  "  to  account 
for  the  crowd  in  the  street  to-day,  who  seemed 
to  make  this  house  their  objective  point." 

"It  alarmed  me,"  said  Alma  nervously. 

"  If  the  annoyance  is  repeated  to-morrow," 
resumed  Mrs.  Akme,  "the  police  must  be  sent 

for.     Washington  has  not  the  disorderly  mobs 
163 


164  CHIM 

of  some  other  cities,  and  I  cannot  imagine 
what  it  means." 

Had  she  looked  in  the  large  oval  mirror  that 
hung  over  an  old  pier-table,  she  would  have 
noticed  a  strange  smile  upon  the  usually  cyn 
ical  face  of  Harman  the  butler. 

But  Mrs.  Akme  was  absorbed  in  painful  con 
jectures,  and  Alma  was  really  frightened. 

The  evening  that  Professor  Wissy-Wassy 
had  presented  Chim  in  a  way  so  astonishing  to 
her,  she  had  received  the  impression  that  the 
Adepts  were  a  secret  society  with  a  sign-man 
ual  and  symbolic  language  of  their  own,  and 
she  was  apprehensive  that  dear  Mrs.  Akme, 
whom  she  could  not  help  but  love  in  return  for 
the  unbounded  kindness  received  at  her  hands, 
was,  in  some  way  unknown  to  herself,  en 
tangled  by  the  machination  of  these  odd  peo 
ple. 

She  said  to  herself,  "  Can  it  be  the  beginning 
of  some  trouble — a  disturbance  preluding  a 
more  serious  outbreak  ?  Can  they  take  us  for 
mafias  ? "  she  asked  with  such  an  undisguised 


CHIM'S   LOSS  165 

look  of  dismay,  that  Mrs.  Akme  laughed 
heartily  and  rising  from  the  table  said,  "  Dear, 
we  will  take  our  coffee  in  Chim's  boudoir,  and 
see  if  he  is  yet  awake." 

"  That  was  another  curious  thing,"  said  Al 
ma;  "did  you  notice  that  our  skye  suddenly 
grew  drowsy  ? " 

"It  is  no  wonder,"  responded  Mrs.  Akme, 
"  that  he  was  exhausted,  for  he  got  very  tired 
barking  at  that  unmannerly  crowd." 

"The  cute  little  dear,"  said  Alma,  "has  a 
great  dislike  for  ragged  or  even  common  peo 
ple,  and  is  sure  to  snap  at  them.  How  much 
he  must  have  suffered  when  he  was  made  the 
performing  dog  of  the  organ-grinder  !  What  a 
debt  of  gratitude  we  owe  Mr.  Montague,  or 
rather  do  I,  dear  Mrs.  Akme,  for  through  Chim, 
whom  he  rescued,  I  have  found  a  loving  moth 
er  in  you." 

"  Do  not  except  me,"  said  Mrs.  Akme,  "  from 
the  grateful  recognition  to  Lennox.  He  has 
given  me  my  treasures,"  and  placing  her  arm 
around  Alma's  waist,  she  added,  "  upon  sec- 


166  CHIM 

ond  thought  we  will  not  disturb  Chim,  but  you 
will  make  music  for  me,  will  you  not  ?  " 

Alma  was  really  a  musician.  She  had  in 
part  received  her  musical  education  at  a  con 
vent  near  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  where 
there  were  two  nuns,  who  were  remarkably 
gifted,  and  who  had  surprising  success  as 
teachers.  It  is  said  that  some  of  their  pupils 
were  told  in  Europe  that  their  method  of  in 
struction  left  nothing  to  unlearn. 

After  they  had  been  forced  by  pecuniary 
stress  to  leave  the  old  Manor  House,  Mrs. 
Ayhvyn,  who  was  at  that  time  a  very  sick  wo 
man,  had  boarded  in  Wheeling  and  sent  Alma 
as  a  day  scholar  for  harp  and  piano  lessons  to 
these  ladies.  But,  as  we  have  already  men 
tioned,  after  her  mother's  death  her  cousin  had 
sent  her  to  another  school,  as  he  said  he  dis 
approved  of  convents.  However,  the  founda 
tion  had  been  well  laid,  and  Alma's  talent  and 
industry  did  the  rest.  She  had  splendid  tccJi- 
niquc  and  rendered  Chopin  and  Liszt  admira 
bly,  had  conscientiously  studied  Bach's  fugues 


CHIM'S  LOSS  167 

and  both  Beethoven  and  Mozart,  while  at  times 
she  had  even  the  inspiration  of  a  composer. 
But  she  had  had  sharp  trials,  for,  being  poor,  she 
could  never  buy  a  harp,  which  every  one  knows 
is  a  very  expensive  instrument,  and  thus  she 
was  deprived  of  a  great  joy  and  solace,  as  well 
as  of  a  means  of  livelihood.  However,  she 
tried  to  overcome  the  pain  of  this  deprivation 
by.  reflecting  that,  after  all,  the  piano  gave 
greater  scope,  and  that  there  was  a  wider  range 
of  score  written  for  its  adaptations.  But  yet 
her  delight  can  be  more  readily  imagined  than 
described,  upon  finding  in  Mrs.  Akme's  music- 
room  a  superb  double-action,  grand  concert 
harp  of  Brown's  best  make,  by  the  side  of  the 
fine  Steinway  grand  upright  piano. 

Mrs.  Akme  had  cultivated  musical  taste  and 
played  passably  well,  and  it  was  like  a  glimpse 
of  Paradise  for  Alma,  to  be  able  to  play  and 
play  and  play,  to  meet  her  own  desires.  As 
they  walked  into  the  music-room  together,  Al 
ma  said  to  her  friend,  "  My  happiness  with  you, 
dear  Mrs.  Akme,  is  greater  than  I  can  express. 


l68  CHIM 

Just  to  think  of  the  joy  of  finding  this  harp— a 
something  I  had  so  longed  for,  but  never  dared 
to  hope  I  could  have." 

"  The  deprivation,"  said  this  lady,  "  must  in 
deed  have  been  torture.  I  rarely  touch  the 
harp  any  more,  and  I  shall  have  greater  pleas 
ure,  Alma,  in  hearing  you,  if  you  will  accept 
the  instrument  from  me." 

"  My  friend,  my  generous  friend, "said  Alma, 
overcome  with  emotion,  "  was  ever  anyone  so 
thoughtful  ?  " 

"  My  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Akme,  quietly,  "  I  am 
only  trying  to  imitate  a  lovely,  large-hearted 
woman  in  New  York,  one  of  those  rare  beings 
whom  wealth  has  not  spoiled,  and  whose  heart, 
like  a  fragrant  bud,  has  expanded — not  dried 
up — under  prosperity's  sun." 

"  What  did  she  do  ?  "  asked  Alma. 

"  Presented  her  teacher  a  magnificent  harp," 
answered  Mrs.  Akme,  "  for  one  thing." 

"  Enough,"  said  Alma,  half  weeping  as  the 
rush  of  recollection  of  what  such  a  gift  would 
once  have  meant  to  her;  "the  sympathizing 


CHIM'S    LOSS  169 

and  appreciative  heart  that  could  do  that,  must 
be  capable  of  diffusing  happiness  in  all  direc 
tions." 

It  so  happened  that  no  one  came  in  during 
the  evening,  not  even  Lennox,  who  was  the 
favored  Jiabituc  among  Mrs.  Akme's  visitors, 
as  he  had  been  called  out  of  town  to  attend  to 
some'  business  matters. 

,  So  they  played  several  duets,  Alma  embrac 
ing  her  harp  with  a  loving  caress.  It  required 
some  little  time  to  adjust  the  two  instruments, 
and  after  they  were  in  accord  they  exhausted  a 
varied  repertoire. 

So  it  was  at  a  late  hour  that  they  entered 
Chim's  boudoir  and  stood  arm-in-arm  beside 
his  silken  couch,  as  if  the  strains  of  melody 
they  had  evoked  had  united  them  the  more 
closely. 

A  low  light  was  dimly  burning.  All  was  still. 

"  Can  he  yet  be  sleeping  ?"  whispered  Mrs. 
Akme,  with  an  undefinable  uneasiness. 

Alma  bent  over  the  divan  and  uttered  a  lit 
tle  cry  of  surprise. 


I/O  CIIIM 

"  He  is  gone  !  "  she  said;  "  we  must  look  for 
him." 

Mrs.  Akme  hastily  raised  the  light  and 
looked  first — as  every  woman  does  when  in 
search  of  the  burglar  she  never  finds — under 
the  bed. 

Meantime,  Alma  carefully  searched  all  the 
nooks  and  corners  of  his  and  her  room.  The 
dog  could  not  be  found. 

"  How  naughty  and  spoiled  he  has  grown," 
said  Alma,  half  aloud;  "  I  do  hope  Mrs.  Akme 
will  let  me  properly  punish  him." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Akme,  catching  at  her 
words  with  a  twinge  of  self-reproach,  "  I  know 
he  must,  for  his  own  good  and  his  future  status, 
be  made  to  obey." 

The  household  was  now  aroused,  and  per 
sistent  and  careful  search  made. 

At  last  Mrs.  Akme,  when  the  night  was  far 
advanced,  gave  it  up  in  despair. 

"  He  is  lost,"  she  said,  tearfully,  "  and  some 
careless  person,  who  has  left  open  some  door 
of  exit,  is  to  blame.  Our  Chim,  allured  by  the 


CIIIM'S  LOSS  171 

beauty  of  the  night,  has  wandered  out.  I  must 
set  a  night-watch.  He  will  return." 

Each  one  of  the  domestics  was  in  turn  ques 
tioned,  but  they,  one  and  all,  protested  that 
they  had  been  very  careful. 

Ah,  the  dismal  blank  !  the  void  !  Chim  was 
gone  ! 

Mrs.-Akme,  standing  beside  the  low,  empty 
bed,  with  cla-sped  hands,  noticed  that  the  blue 
satin  eider-down  quilt  was  missing.  A  sudden 
suspicion  broke  upon  her,  and  she  called  to 
Alma,  saying:  "  He  is  stolen  !  They  have 
stolen  him  !  " 

"Who?"  asked  Alma,  running  in  from  her 
room,  looking  very  frightened. 

"  Why,  some  one  of  that  crowd,  of  course," 
said  she.  "  How  indiscreet  we  were  to  let  our 
treasure  be  seen  from  the  window  !  " 

Alma's  heart  sank,  and  she  grew  very  faint,  as 
she  thought  of  the  probable  sufferings  of  Chim. 

Mrs.  Akme  was  seated  in  the  boudoir  of  the 
lost  darling,  absorbed  in  contemplation,  and 
presently  she  slowly  soliloquized: 


1/2  CHIM 

"  Perhaps,  indeed,  the  Silent  Brothers  have 
removed  him,  his  canine  life-cycle  having 
closed." 

Alma  shuddered,  for  at  such  times  Mrs. 
Akme  always  impressed  her  as  one  bereft  of 
reason,  and  her  ignorance  of  the  terminology 
of  the  various  systems,  philosophies,  oriental 
isms  and  theories  now  being  discussed  and 
even  accepted  by  our  Christian  civilization, 
was  a  puzzling  mystery  to  her. 

In  her  perplexity,  and  thinking  that  per 
haps  it  might  console  Mrs.  Akme,  she  said: 

"  My  dear  music  teacher,  Sister  Eulalia,  once 
told  me  that  if  a  loss  was  sustained,  and  the  aid 
of  St.  Anthony  invoked,  if  it  were  for  the  best, 
the  lost  would  be  found." 

Mrs.  Akme  in  her  turn  looked  amazed. 
"  Pray,  Alma,"  she  inquired,  "  who  was  this 
saint  ?  was  he  a  theurgist  ?  I  will  send  for 
Professor  Wissy-Wassy  in  the  morning  and 
consult  with  him.  He  is  very  learned  in  oc 
cultism." 

"  And  I,"  said  Alma,  "  will  try  the  dear  sis- 


CHIM'S   LOSS  173 

ter's  suggestion,  for  she  was  a  very  intelligent, 
clear-headed  woman,  who  received  nothing  up 
on  hearsay." 

"That's  right,  clear,"  said  Mrs.  Akme. 
"  She  may  have  been  a  mystic.  I  never  reject 
a  thing  because  I  don't  understand  it.  There 
is  so  little,  if  anything,  indeed,  one  really 
knows.  We  live  in  a  land  of  dreams,  and  all 
our  studies  only  bring  us  face  to  face  with  the 
unknowable." 

"I  suppose  so,"  answered  the  young  girl, 
"and  what  you  say  reminds  me  hearing  the 
Sister  teach,  '  that  it  was  impossible  for  human 
reason  unaided,  to  find  absolute  truth,  which 
must  come  to  us  as  a  direct  gift  from  God — 

"  But  what  are  the  signs  of  having  received 
the  gift  ? "  asked  her  friend,  greatly  interested. 

"  Pardon  me,"  said  Alma,  "  I  am  ignorant. 
I  can  teach  nothing,  but  I  got  the  impression 
that  what  they  called  the  sacraments  were 
channels  for  the  mysterious  grace  to  operate 
upon  the  soul,  and  through  these  divinely  ap 
pointed  means  the  gift  was  received." 


174  CHIM 

"  How  very  remarkable  !  "  answered  the  ma 
tron.  "  I  must  confer  with  the  Professor  about  it." 

Then  they  embraced  each  other,  and  sepa 
rated  for  the  night. 

In  the  early  morning  the  Professor  received 
a  note  from  Mrs.  Akme,  requesting  an  early 
visit,  and  saying  that  she  would  be  happy  to 
have  him  breakfast  with  her  at  twelve  o'clock, 
if  he  could  do  so. 

Now,  the  Professor  was  really  more  genial 
than  his  appearance  indicated,  and  he  burned 
the  midnight  lamp,  not  only  as  an  Adept  in  oc 
cultism,  but  likewise  as  one  skilled  in  the  con 
cocting  of  oyster  and  terrapin  stews,  and  the 
mixing  of  hot,  pungent  punches,  and  other  tit 
illating  compounds  addressed  to  the  lower 
sense  of  the  palate,  the  aroma  of  which,  pene 
trating  the  brain,  often  left  a  residuum  of  head 
ache  in  the  morning.  He  was  essentially  an 
orientalist,  in  thought  and  modes  of  non-ac 
tion,  but  so  strong  are  the  binding  ties  of  our 
surroundings,  that  when  he  did  act,  his  habits 
were  those  of  a  Californian. 


CHIM'S  LOSS  175 

As  the  astute  Marquis  La  Fayette  de  Noo  ir 
reverently  remarked  of  him,  on  his  return 
home  after  that  salon,  "  That  lantern-jawed 
chap  showed  up  great  on  theories." 

"  But,"  said  the  governor,  "  my  son,  he  was 
big  in  action  with  his  knife  and  fork." 

"  And,"  added  Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  "  I 
notice  J  that  he  was  complected  like  a  Brahman 
Injun." 

"  P'raps,"  suggested  Sis,  "  he  don't  know 
'bout  Pears'  soap." 

But  there  is  no  reason  why  these  vulgar  com 
ments  should  be  repeated,  other  than  the  con 
trariety  of  the  memory  that  often  stores  away 
silly  things,  when  wise  sayings  are  forgotten. 
But  one  thing  was  certain  about  this  scholar — 
that  much  of  the  time  he  was  absorbed  in  a  pro 
found  contemplation  of  the  Ego,  or,  in  plain 
parlance,  of  himself.  In  this  he  was  one  of 
many. 

Now  when  he  received  Mrs.  Akme's  note,  he 
was  just  saying  to  his  inner  self,  that  he  "  would 
prefer  to  remain  quiescent,  so  as  to  amplify  the 


176  CHIM 

sweep  of  his  spiritualistic  vision,  did  not  inflexi 
ble  fate  compel  him  to  fall  to  the  plane  of  the 
illusions  of  the  clay;"  or,  in  common  words,  the 
Professor  meant,  that  he  "  would  rather  lie  In 
bed,  but  was  forced  to  get  up." 

We  crave  pardon  for  such  shocking  vulgar 
ization  of  science. 

Now,  for  some  time  past,  the  Professor  had 
evolved  out  of  his  thinking  principle  the  very 
sensible  resolution,  in  the  near  future,  to  pro 
pose  to  share  his  present  life-cycle  with  Mrs. 
Akme.  It  is  true,  that  the  vanity  of  vanities 
is  the  vanity  of  man,  that  surpasses  all  under 
standing.  It  has  outlived  the  ages,  is  fed  by 
perennial  Adamic  sources,  is  a  universal  law  of 
his  being,  and,  as  a  summing  up,  may  be  said 
to  be — Cosmic  ! 

It  may  be  that  Mrs.  Akme  had  unwittingly 
encouraged  this  decision  of  the  Pundit,  for  she 
had  lavished  much  time  and  given  deferential 
consideration  to  one  whom  she  regarded  as  a 
Mahatma,  and  she  desired  to  receive  illumina 
tion  by  the  reflection  of  his  spiritual  light. 


CHIM'S   LOSS  177 

But  to  descend  to  so  low  a  plane  as  to  link 
their  life  destinies  or  karmic  complications 
together,  never  once  suggested  itself  to  her. 

The  soul  cannot  gravitate  downward,  and 
hers  were  spiritual  aspirations  that  tended  up 
ward. 

She  sought  Nirvana,  while  he  was  so  recreant 
as  to-  suffer  himself  to  be  dominated  by  the 
animal-soul,  or  Kama-rupa! 

So  when  he  got  Airs.  Akme's  note  he  re 
ceived  it  as  a  direct  reply  to  his  own  thoughts, 
and  being  given  over  to  his  own  devices,  he 
said,  forgetting  to  express  himself  in  an  occult 
way  : 

"  Ha,  ha  !  it  seems  she  cannot  live  without 
me.  Of  late  I  am  sent  for  almost  daily,  and 
now  it  has  come  to  such  a  pass  that  she  cannot 
breakfast  unless  I  am  there.  Although  I  am 
such  a  great  philosopher,"  and  here  he  viewed 
his  reflection  in  a  big  mirror,  "  I  must  also  be 
kind  and  considerate  and  spare  her  embarrass 
ment.  She  is  a  widow,  and  of  course  sighs  for 
my  companionship,  and,  what  is  more  to  the 


1/8  CHIM 

purpose,  she  has  a  fine  large  house,  and  a 
handsome  income  to  enable  her  to  live  well  in 
it.  I  know  this,  for  in  the  pursuit  of  knowl 
edge,  ha,  ha !  I  have  found  it  out.  As  to  that 
hideous  little  skye-terrier  and  his  mistress, 
that  shilly-shally  but  remarkably  pretty  girl, 
her  latest  fad,  I  will,  so  soon  as  I  am  master 
of  the  house,  make  short  terms  with  them  both. 
They  must  work  for  a  living." 

Accordingly,  the  learned  doctor  hastily,  but 
carefully,  arrayed  himself,  and  at  the  appointed 
hour  made  one  of  three  at  Mrs.  Akme's  break 
fast  table. 

That  lady,  who  had  perfect  tact  as  a  hostess, 
did  not  mar  the  pleasure  of  proffered  hospital 
ity  by  any  allusion  to  the  loss  of  Chim,  al 
though  her  guest  deplored  his  absence,  but 
when  they  rose  from  the  table,  she  led  the  way 
to  her  study,  saying  to  Alma  as  she  did  so, 
"  We  will  excuse  you,  dear,  as  I  wish  to  have 
some  private  conversation  with  the  Professor." 

The  knees  of  the  great  Teacher  fairly  knock 
ed  together,  he  was  so  afraid  that  she  was 


CHIM'S  LOSS  179 

actually  going  to  propose  to  him,  then  and 
there. 

What  arrant  cowards  men  are  !  one  never 
heard  of  a  woman  who  would  be  alarmed  if  a 
score  of  men  proposed  to  her.  Of  course  not, 
for  they  know  how  to  say  no,  with  enchanting 
grace.  And  the  art  of  a  soothing  refusal  is  a 
fine'art. 

They  entered  the  coziest  room,  where  Mrs. 
Akme  retired  when  she  wished  to  be  absorbed 
in  contemplation  and  uninterrupted. 

There  are  chosen  spots  that  assist  to  develop 
thought,  just  as  moisture  and  sunshine  promote 
the  growth  of  plants  and  cause  their  germina 
tion. 

Mrs.  Akme  closed  the  door  and  seated  her 
self  in  a  large  easy  chair,  motioning  to  her 
companion  to  occupy  a  similar  one  near  her. 

And  now  at  last,  after  this  prolonged  self- 
control  the  reaction  came,  and  she  became 
agitated  as  all  the  possibilities  connected  with 
the  strange  disappearance  of  Chim  flashed  upon 
her,  and  she  had  called  to  her  aid  the  one 


ISO  CIIIM 

Master,  who  had  traveled  far  and  wide  seeking 
wisdom  ;  who  had  explored  the  dreamy  orient  ; 
had  seen  and  conversed  with  the  Mahatmas  of 
Thibet,  and  who  was  conversant  with  the  lore 
of  the  Kabalist,  and  familiar  with  much  that 
was  known  of  the  ancient  Aryans. 

"  I  have  so  many  questions  to  propound,  my 
dear  Professor,"  she  said;  "  I  know  not  where 
to  begin." 

He  smiled  benignantly  with  the  thought  that 
never  before  had  she  addressed  him  as  "  dear." 

"  These  queries,"  she  continued,  "  are  con 
nected  with  the  strange  disappearance  of  the 
reincarnated  Pundit  Chim." 

"  I  was  aware,"  said  he,  with  an  expression 
of  calm  wisdom,  "  that  he  had  been  removed;  " 
but  mentally  he  simply  ejaculated,  "  Hang  the 
dog  !  " 

"Why,"  she  exclaimed,  with  unfeigned  sur 
prise,  "  did  you,  then,  inquire  about  him  just 
now  at  breakfast,  noticing  his  absence  ?  " 

"Certainly  I  did,"  he  replied  with  impertur 
bable  repose;  "  do  you  suppose  I  would  permit 


CHIM'S  LOSS  181 

the  uninitiated  Miss  Ayhvyn  to  have  an  inkling 
of  our  secret  wisdom  ?  We  of  the  inner  section  ?" 

"  But  I  thought,"  said  Mrs.  Akrne,  much  dis 
concerted,  "that  truth  was  a  foundation-stone 
of  the  temple  of  Solomon." 

"  Madam,"  he  replied  grandiloquently,  "par 
don  me,  but  a  neophyte,  who  is  only  initiated 
in  the  first  degree,  cannot  know  of  the  uses  of 
( symbolic  language." 

"True,"  she  said,  but  she  was  not  satisfied; 
"  but  since  you  already  knew  of  this  present 
phase  of  Chim's  exit  from  our  corporeal  vision, 
can  you  not  tell  me  if  it  defines  in  any  way  the 
doctrine  of  the  evolution  of  the  species  ?" 

"  Most  assuredly,"  said  he  pompously. 

"  Oh  !  "  said  the  disciple,  fairly  catching  her 
breath;  "and  can  one  trace  through  Chim,  or 
obtain  the  slightest  clue  that  will  bridge  over, 
if  only  by  a  thread,  that  'impassable  chasm' 
between  mind  and  matter  ?  " 

"All  difficulties  may  be  overcome,"  answer 
ed  he.  But  he  thought,  "  what  an  infernal 
curiosity  women  have  !  " 


1 82  CHIM 

"And  can  even  negative  proofs  be  given  ?" 
she  inquired,  "and  what  is  the  teaching  of 
esoteric  philosophy  on  this  subject  ?  " 

"A  regular  daughter  of  Eve,"  thought  he. 
"  She  must  needs  pluck  the  apple  from  the  tree 
of  Paradise,  and  eat  it  whole  forthwith,  and  then 
be  surprised  if  she  have  an  indigestion.  I  must 
impress  her  with  the  impossibility  of  attainment." 

So,  orating  very  slowly,  he  said,  "  Madam, 
I  am  pained  to  have  to  say  that  a  long  and 
rigorous  preparation  is  needed  before  the  ma 
terialized  spirit  can  be  properly  prepared  to 
receive  the  illumination  you  desire." 

"Preparation  of  what  kind?"  she  asked, 
nothing  daunted. 

"  Of  contemplation,  silence,  solitude,  and 
fasting;"  and  he  mentally  said,  "  that  will  deter 
any  woman." 

As  was  Mrs.  Akme's  habit  when  deeply 
moved,  she  remained  silent. 

The  Professor  watched  the  effect  uneasily, 
and  he  misconstrued  her  seeming  passivity  into 
shrinking  from  the  prescribed  ordeal. 


CHIM'S  LOSS  183 

"  Now  is  the  time  to  show  her  the  more  at 
tractive  picture  of  society  and  companionship," 
thought  he. 

So  thinking,  he  suddenly  wheeled  his  chair 
nearer,  and  bending  forward  grasped  her  hand. 

Involuntarily  she  recoiled  from  its  clammy 
coldness,  as  if  a  snake  had  touched  her,  but 
she  was  actually  too  aghast  to  move. 
•  "Now  or  never, "was  his  thought,  still  mis 
taking  her  mood,  and  releasing  the  hand  she 
had  involuntarily  drawn  back,  he  fell  upon  his 
knees  at  her  feet,  and  cried  out: 

"  Give  me  a  ray  of  hope,  transcendent  being  ! 
It  has  been  revealed  that  I  cannot  complete 
this  life-cycle  without  you." 

Mrs.  Akme  pushed  back  her  chair  so  quickly 
that  her  suitor  was  still  kneeling  as  she  arose 
and  looked  down  upon  him. 

She  had  never  before  thought  of  him  as  other 
than  an  etherealized  abstraction,  but  now,  under 
this  new  and  revolting  aspect,  regarding  him 
upon  this  lower  plane  to  which  he  had  suddenly 
sunk  in  her  estimation,  how  repulsive  he  was  ! 


184  CIIIM 

He  seemed  so  hideous  and  changed  that  she 
wondered  at  the  infatuation  that  had  permitted 
her  to  seek  instruction  from  him. 

Her  lip  curled,  and  she  drew  herself  haughti 
ly  to  her  full  height.  He  divined  the  movement, 
and  he  angrily  arose,  and  stood  before  her. 

"  And,"  she  said  with  infinite  scorn  in  her 
voice,  "  your  hope  of  Nirvana  ? "  He  felt  that 
he  was  lost,  but  he  could  not  retreat.  So  he 
answered  in  a  husky  voice:  "  I  abandon  even 
the  hope  of  this  glorious  consummation  for  you." 

"  You  are  base,"  she  said  scornfully.  "Your 
soul  is  weak.  You  have  no  true  indwelling 
spirit.  If  the  Brotherhood  is  of  such,  I  must  seek 
for  truth  elsewhere.  You  have  fed  me  with  il 
lusions,  but  the  magic  spell  is  broken.  Hence 
forth  we  are  as  strangers  to  each  other." 

So  saying,  she  left  the  room,  and  the  dazed 
Professor,  still  standing  on  the  tiger-skin  rug, 
a  vanquished  athlete  on  the  amphitheatre  of  his 
own  choosing.  Alternating  chagrin  and  rage 
overcame  him,  as  he  wended  his  way  back  to 
his  bachelor  apartments,  cursing,  not  loud  but 


CIIIM'S   LOSS  185 

deep,  the  ill-fated  day,  but  above  all  the  ac 
cursed  dog,  that  had  lured  him  to  his  ruin. 

And  the  poor  lady  instantly  locked  herself  in 
her  room  to  do  battle  with  herself.  "  Ah,"  she 
moaned  as  she  walked  the  floor,  ''Eidolons 
shattered  !  Idealisms  vanished,  fallacies  dis 
solved  !  I  begin  to  see  myself  as  others  must 
have  seen  me,  as  one  bereft  of  reason.  And  for 
Avhat  ?  For  eager  seeking  I  was  given  chaff; 
for  substance,  words;  for  progress,  archaisms; 
for  Christianity,  paganism.  For  the  sublime 
conception  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  of  the  Holy  of 
Holies  filling  heaven  and  earth  with  symbolic 
beauty,  a  pitiful  exchange  of  a  vague  glimpse  of 
a  creative  essence,  which  like  an  Ignis-falnns 
evades  the  grasp,  and  lures  the  unsatisfied 
wretch  into  the  final  despair  of  utter  annihila 
tion,  and  I  was  so  blinded  as  to  accept  this  Nir 
vana  for  the  Great  Jehovah  !  I  am  as  one 
humbled  to  the  dust,  for  the  lesson  has  been 
given  me  through  the  weakest  of  instruments — 
a  dog  was  sent  to  abase  my  pride  of  intellect. 
I  accept  the  lesson  taught,  and  oh,  be  he  lost  or 
found,  I  shall  be  grateful  to  Chim." 


CHAPTER    VIII 

CHIM    AT   THE   DE   NOO    BALL 

AT  first  Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo  was  sure 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  have  any  cards 
of  invitation  suitably  engraved  in  Washington, 
for  the  stunning  coming-out  ball  for  Miss  de 
Noo,  that  she  was  about  to  give. 

However,  in  view  of  the  loss  of  time  incident 
to  sending  the  commission  to  Paris,  for  she  was 
not  at  all  in  favor  of  depending  on  New  York, 
and  finding  out  upon  diligent  inquiry  that  there 
were  several  places  that  could  be  relied  on  in 
the  capital  city,  and  in  particular  Brentano's, 
where  she  discovered  that  Mrs.  Akme,  and  sev 
eral  other  ladies  of  the  oldest  families  had  their 
engraving  done,  she  rather  reluctantly,  and 
with  no  end  of  injunctions  and  directions,  in 
trusted  the  order  to  them. 

How  artisans  and  others  skilled  in  their  spe- 
186 


CHIM   AT    THE    DE   NOO    BALL  187 

cialties  must  be  annoyed  and  discouraged,  and 
amused,  too,  at  the  various  commands  given 
them  in  the  line  of  their  work  by  rich  upstarts, 
who  afterward  blame  them  for  the  results  of 
their  own  ignorant  instructions  ! 

The  card  when  finished  was  quite  imposing. 
Had  it  been  tied  with  yellow  ribbons  it  might 
have  been  mistaken  for  that  of  the  grand  Mo- 
.gul.  The  famous  coat-of-arms  with  sixteen 
quarterings  (without  money  bags)  and  sur 
mounted  by  a  crowing  cock  done  in  gold,  and 
embossed  admirably,  was  all  that  could  be 
done  for  Croesus. 

Yet,  as  Mrs.  Akme  said  to  Alma  when  they 
got  their  invitation:  "Brentano's  have  done 
their  work  all  right,  but  the  rest  has  the  un 
mistakable  stamp  of  the  parvenu.  The  de 
vice,  or  whatever  the  nondescript  may  be 
called,  is  in  defiance  of  heraldic  law,  and  aside 
from  that,  ridiculous  in  itself,  and  the  extraor 
dinary  size  is  vulgarly  pretentious.  It  is  curi 
ous  that  these  nouveaux-riches  cannot  attain 
refinement." 


188  CHIM 

"  It  must  be,  of  course,"  said  Alma,  "  because 
they  are  somewhat  upset  by  the  great  change 
of  circumstances,  and  they  strain  after  effect, 
so  as  to  dazzle  others." 

"  Only  look  at  this  superscription,"  said  Mrs. 
Akme,  "addressed  '  To  Mrs.  Akme  and  fam 
ily  /'  It  seems  by  this  that  we  are  an  aggre 
gation,  Alma,  and  cannot  be  individualized. 
There  in  nothing  of  bad  manners  more  grating 
than  the  overlooking,  misspelling  or  mistaking 
one's  name  in  any  way." 

"  And  yet,"  said  Alma,  "  this  name  has  a  de 
prefixed,  which  is  supposed  to  indicate  savoir- 
faire? 

Mrs.  Akme  laughed  sarcastically  as  she  said, 
"  It  is  made  de  by  act  of  legislature  or  act  of 
piracy.  I  am  told  the  man  is  plain  Larry  Noo. 
He  is  rich,  as  one  sees;  honest,  which  is  remark 
able,  and  he  would  be  a  useful  and  respectable 
citizen  were  it  not  for  the  antics  of  his  wife  and 
daughter." 

"And  the  son?"  asked  Alma. 

Mrs.  Akme  scanned  her  face  for  an  instant, 


CHIM    AT    THE    DE   NOO   BALL  189 

but  saw  the  open  expression  of  the  clear  blue 
eyes  and  was  satisfied. 

"  The  son,  dear,  is,  they  say,  half  elude  and  a 
good-hearted  fellow,  but  in  no  wise  a  refined 
man.  I  fancy  that  the  father  is  the  best  of  the 
lot.  He  had  the  wit  to  make  the  money  that 
the  family  squanders." 

"What  a  queer  history,"  said  Alma. 

"  Not  at  all,  dear,"  replied  her  friend.  "This 
thing  happens  every  day  in  our  midst — so  often, 
indeed,  that  one  ceases  to  be  surprised.  If  you 
wish  an  indulgent  husband,  my  child,  be  sure 
to  marry  an  American." 

"  Oh!"  exclaimed  the  ingenuous  girl,  catch 
ing  her  breath,  with  an  appealing  look  which 
plainly  said,  "to  have  marriage  thus  alluded 
to  is  not  pleasant."  "  I  suppose,"  she  said, 
"  you  are  not  going  to  this  ball  ?" 

"  I  ought  not  to  go,"  replied  the  matron  qui 
etly,  "for  I  do  not  think  it  quite  just  to  society  or 
one's  own  self-respect  to  visit  people  whom  one 
cannot  but  criticise.  There  is  too  much  of  this 
sort  of  thing  done  by  people  of  influence,  and 


CHIM 

who  know  better,  and  who  are  really  responsi 
ble  for  the  general  tone  of  society.  Yet  by 
their  presence  at  these  entertainments  they  en 
courage  the  underbred.  But  for  once,  my 
dear  adopted  daughter,  I  am  going,  as  I  wish 
to  show  you  all  phases  of  the  world's  move 
ment." 

"Thanks;  you  are  so  considerate,"  replied 
Alma;  but  she  could  not  help  thinking  how 
changed  Mrs.  Akme  was  since  the  other  day 
when  the  Professor  had  breakfasted  with  them. 
She  seemed  to  have  become  so  matter-of-fact; 
less  serious  and  stately,  perhaps,  and,  above 
all,  to  take  such  a  common-sense  view  of 
things.  Then,  she  had  not  used  a  single  word 
that  was  incomprehensible  to  her. 

Alma  little  dreamed  that  Mrs.  Akme  was 
passing  mentally  through  a  transition  state; 
that  she  was  shedding  her  chrysalis  of  isms, 
and  clone  forever  with  the  society  of  Adepts. 

After  having  acquired  Chim,  Mrs  La  Fayette 
de  Noo  was  at  first  ecstatically  happy,  although 


CHIM    AT    THE    DE    NOO   BALL  19 1 

her  gratification  was  not  unalloyed,  as  will 
happen  with  one's  most  longed-for  pleasures, 
because  Chim  behaved  in  such  a  disagreeable 
way — whining  and  discontented — like  a  spoiled 
child  of  fortune. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  dog  was  far 
from  amiable;  and,  finally,  one  morning  when 
she.  tried  to  overcome  his  ill-humor  by  love, 
squeezing  him  in  her  arms,  he  snapped  at  her, 
and  tore  her  lace  handkerchief. 

"  Take  care,  now,"  said  Marie  Jeanne,  in  a 
warning  tone,  "that  dog  may  have  been  bit,  for 
all  we  know,  and  is  going  mad." 

"  You  scare,  me,  Sis,"  said  her  mother  turn 
ing  red,  and  looking  at  the  slight  scratch  on 
her  hand. 

"  Annette,  le  docteur" 

"  Oh,"  said  the  daughter,  who  had  a  very 
pleasant  recollection  of  Dr.  Mensana,  whom 
she  had  met  at  Mrs.  Akme's,  "  I  will  attend  to 
that  at  once  myself." 

Dr.  Mensana  received  an  urgent  message 
"  to  come  as  quickly  as  possible,"  and  he  went 


IQ2  CHIM 

at  once,  although  at  some  personal  inconven 
ience,  muttering  to  himself:  "  I  venture  to  say 
it's  only  a  scratch,  for  women  always  send  word 
that  they  are  dying — at  least  the  rich  ones  do." 

Miss  de  Noo  received  the  gallant  Esculapius 
attired  in  a  rose-colored  silk  morning  gown, 
which  quite  impressed  his  susceptible  fancy, 
and  she  explained  to  him  volubly,  that  "Ma 
dame  Mere"  had  a  wonderful  trained  dog — the 
twin-brother  of  Mrs.  Akme's,  and  that  the 
little  fellow  must  be  sick,  as  he  had  snapped 
at  his  mistress. 

Dr.  Mensana  was  not  very  well  pleased  to 
be  sent  for  on  account  of  a  dog,  but  he 
thought  the  young  lady  quite  charming,  and 
besides,  since  the  puppy  was  of  the  same  litter 
as  Mrs.  Akme's  wonderful  dog,  perhaps  he 
might  be  an  interesting  subject  for  scientific 
investigation,  and  even  illustrate  his  own  theory 
of  microbes. 

So  they  ascended  to  Madame  Mere's  bou- 
doir.  Miss  de  Noo  herself  condescending  to 
lead  the  way. 


CHIM    AT   THE   DE   NOO    15ALL  193 

Mrs.  de  Noo  was,  likewise,  very  elaborately 
attired  for  the  reception  of  the  doctor,  and 
Chim  was  being  rocked  in  a  canopied,  lace- 
ruffled,  satin-lined  cradle,  but  had  to  be  held 
therein,  trying  his  best  to  work  out.  Evident 
ly  the  dog  was  not  artistic. 

Marquis  stood  looking  out  of  the  window, 
his  hands  clasped  behind  his  back,  and  his 
,cheeks  puffed  out  and  his  face  actually  mottled 
with  suppressed  laughter,  as  he  now  and  then 
turned  to  ogle  the  maid,  who  smiled  irrepress- 
ibly,  but  otherwise  did  not  encourage  his 
mirthfulness. 

" Docteur"  said  madame,  "we  are,  as  you  see, 
an  afflicted  family.  Can  you  give  us  a  pre 
scription  for  a  dose  ?  " 

The  doctor  bowed,  looking  round — Miss  de 
Noo,  who  had  him  in  special  charge,  handed 
him  a  chair,  also  seating  herself. 

"This  here  Sheen,"  the  mother  continued, 
"  is  the  patient  one.  He  has  so  far  forgot  his- 
self  as  to  snap  at  me.  He  done  it  this  morning, 
whilst  I  was  ahugging  of  him,  and  Miss  de  Noo 


194  CIIIM 

thinks  he's  a  case  of  being  rabies.  He  has  a  right 
to  be  well  conducted,  as  he  belongs  to  an  old 
family  stock,  second  to  none  in  the  land,  being 
he  is  twins  to  Mrs.  Akme's  performing  dog,  the 
pair  of  them  having  one  and  the  same  name.  I 
don't  like  Chim  for  a  name,  but  the  Marquis 
here,  says,  its  dog's  latin  for  Prince  Coolly- 
Woolly." 

Hereupon  Mark  looked  very  hard  out  of  the 
window,  spluttering  out  something  that 
sounded  like — "  I'll  be  dog-goned,  if  'tain't  just 
so." 

The  maid  twitched  and  rocked  the  cradle  so 
violently  that  Chim  took  the  chance  to  jump 
up  into  the  doctor's  lap,  who  was  seated  near. 

As  he  looked  at  him,  Chim  gave  a  quick  lit 
tle  joyful  bark,  having  evidently  recognized 
him  as  one  of  Mrs.  Akme's  Adepts,  and  doubt 
less  hoping  that  he  had  found  a  friend  who 
would  take  him  back  to  Alma. 

So  the  dog  remained  very  quiet  on  his  knee, 
giving  Dr.  Mensana  an  excellent  opportunity 
to  diagnose  his  case. 


CHIM    AT   THE   DE    NOO   BALL  IQ5 

A  careful  and  minute  search  with  a  power 
ful  magnifying  glass  was  at  once  made  for 
microbes,  and  notwithstanding  the  perfumed 
baths,  several  well-defined  ones  were  found 
skipping  about  his  wee,  woolly  body.  Then 
this  astute  physician  examined  the  eyes  of  the 
patient,  which  were  unusually  large,  and  re 
garded  him  with  an  appealing,  almost  human 
look. 

It  was  one  of  Chim's  magnetic  attractions, 
that  mystic,  veiled  glance  of  his,  but  the  doc 
tor  was  not  given  to  sentiment,  and  noticing 
the  peculiar  look,  thought  it  might  possibly 
indicate  incipient  cataract. 

"  I  find, "said  he  sententiously  to  the  attentive 
group,  "  a  complication  of  symptoms.  There 
are  undoubtedly  some  well-defined  microbes, 
and  the  indications  point  to  incipient  cataract." 

"It's  all  Greek  to  me,"  interrupted  Mrs.  de 
Noo.  "What  I  want  to  know  is,  what  ails  the 
cur?" 

"  The  doctor's  just  told  you,"  answered  her 
son;  "it's  his  hair  and  his  eyes  that  worries  him." 


196  CHIM 

"  Must  an  operation  be  performed,  doctor  ? " 
asked  Miss  De  Noo  apprehensively. 

"  Not  yet,  Miss,"  said  Esculapius,  smiling 
upon  her  very  blandly.  "  Since  Chim  is  of 
interest  to  you,  I  will  come  again  and  watch 
the  case,  although  I  must  say  frankly  that  it 
is  the  very  first  time  during  an  extensive  prac 
tice  that  I  have  been  sent  for  to  prescribe  to 
one  of  the  canine  race." 

"  But  you  must  give  him  some  medicine," 
said  Mrs.  de  Noo,  who  imagined,  as  people 
always  seem  to  do,  that  if  one  sees  a  doctor 
there  must  be  a  disagreeable  sequence. 

An  experienced  practitioner,  in  such  cases, 
will  administer  a  bread  pill  to  satisfy  the  imag 
ination,  but  Dr.  Mensana  was  an  inventor,  and 
he  desired  to  experiment.  So,  taking  poor  Chim 
with  a  strong  grip  that  meant  business,  he  said, 
"  I  will  give  him  one  drop  of  my  elixir,  although 
I  have  distilled  it  myself,  with  infinite  trouble, 
through  an  alembic  of  my  own  invention." 

"Law!"  cried  Mrs.  de  Noo,  "the  French 
doctors  never  make  their  own  medicines." 


CHIM   AT   THE    DE    NOO    BALL  197 

"  Nor  take  them,  either,"  added  Marquis. 

"Nor  am  I  a  pharmacist,"  said  the  doctor, 
irritated. 

"  Oh,  dear  doctor !  "  said  Miss  de  Noo  coax- 
ingly.  Dr.  Mensana,  addressing  her  with  a 
mollified  tone,  said,  "This  elixir  is  my  own 
scientific  discovery,  and  destined  to  revolution 
ize  tire  world,"  and  taking  out  of  his  inner  vest 
p,ocket  a  homoeopathic  vial,  he  held  Chim's 
nose,  and  let  one  drop  fall  on  his  tongue. 

Chim  slid  down  to  the  floor,  strangled, 
squirmed,  rolled  over  and  over  on  his  back, 
bending  his  body  bow  shape,  and  wriggling 
four  protesting  legs  in  the  air. 

Every  one  fled.  They  scattered  to  the  four 
distant  corners  of  the  room,  the  frightened 
women  holding  their  skirts  tight  round  their 
ankles,  as  if  they  had  seen  a  mouse. 

"  He's  gone  mad  !  "  cried  the  mother.  "  He's 
got  a  fit !"  wailed  her  daughter.  "He'll  ex 
plode  !  it's  dynamite  !  "  shouted  Mark,  rubbing 
his  hands  in  great  glee,  and  making  more 
noise  than  all  the  rest  put  together,  for,-  like 


198  CHIM 

the  stormy  petrel,  he  was  at  his  best  in  a  scrim 
mage. 

"  Save  yourselves !  "  he  yelled,  catching 
Annette  round  the  waist.  "  We're  being 
blown  up." 

Annette  extricated  herself,  and  walked  out 
of  the  room.  She  was  always  dignified,  and 
not  at  all  like  a  flirtatious  Frenchwoman. 

"  She's  pretty  as  a  picture,"  thought  Mark. 
"  I'll  call  her  back."  So  he  stepped  out  and 
called,  "  Annette,  the  Madame  wants  you." 
She  always  seemed  to  understand  his  English, 
and  she  returned. 

Meantime  the  doctor  was  triumphant  at  the 
marked  effect  of  that  solitary  drop.  Now  Chim 
had  righted  himself,  but  he  eyed  the  doctor 
suspiciously,  and  well  he  might,  with  a  hole 
burned  through  his  tongue  as  big  as  a  pin-head. 

"  It's  a  beautiful  case.  The  animal  is  now 
rejuvenated,"  said  Dr.  Mensana,  solemnly. 
"  It  is  probable  that  if  no  extraneous  causes 
intervene,  he  will  continue  to  live  far  past  the 
usual  record  of  the  canine  race." 


CHIM   AT   THE    DE    NOO   BALL  199 

"You  don't  say  so!"  cried  Mrs.  de  Noo. 
"  What's  '  rejuntevated  '  ?  "  asked  she. 

"  Made  young  again,"  answered  the  doctor. 

"Do  you  hear  that,  Sis?  He's  a  doctor 
worth  having,"  bawled  Mark. 

The  young  lady  blushed  scarlet.  "Behave 
yourself,  Marquis,"  enjoined  his  mother.  "  You 
forget  the  family  dignity.  You  acted  shameful, 
too,  in  that  saloon  of  Mrs.  Akme." 

"  Don't  I  know,"  said  the  exasperating  boy, 
"that  my  great-great-great-grandfather  was 
Larry  Noo,  second  cousin  to — 

"  Hush  up,"  said  Sis,  who  was  recovering. 
Chim  was  now  undergoing  a  reaction,  and, 
curled  up  on  a  sofa,  had  gone  to  sleep. 

"  Docteur"  said  madame,  pointing — she  al 
ways  pointed  to  emphasize  speech — "  look  at 
that  there  Sheen,  he's  cured  !  Listen  how  hard 
he  snoozes.  I'm  ever  so  much  obleeged.  To 
morrow  night  we  give  the  tip-top  ball  of  this 
season.  It  won't  be  as  select,  though,  as  it 
orter  be,  for  we  had  to  draw  our  line  some 
where,  and  so  I  may  say  to  you,  noos  enter. 


200  CHIM 

we  only  asked  the  mund-demy.  So  we'll  be 
glad  to  see  you.  It's  Miss  de  Noo's  debutante 
— coming  out.  Do  you  think  the  Sheen  will  be 
well  enough  to  appear  ?" 

"Be  sure  to  come,  doctor,"  added  Miss  de 
Noo  persuasively,  "  and  you  may  dance  with  me, 
fourth  partner.  My  first  is  Count  Hoppin,  my 
second  Baron  Hausgarten,  my  third  the  Chev 
alier  Stooper." 

"You  see,"  interlocuted  mamma,  "Miss  de 
Noo  has  to  give  first  choice  to  the  diplomatic 
corpse." 

"  As  I'm  only  a  doctor,"  said  he  sarcastically, 
"  I  won't  mind  that  sort  of  thing  in  the  least. 
Good  morning." 

"  Now  be  sure  to  come,  doctor,"  repeated 
Miss  de  Noo,  attending  him  to  the  door. 

"  Sis  has  got  a  mash  on  that  there  longevity 
man,"  observed  Marquis.  "  She'd  undergo 
cremation  to  be  made  young  again." 

"  For  shame,  Marquis,"  expostulated  his 
mother,  "you  reflect  on  me." 

After  the  doctor  went  away  Mrs.   de  Noo 


CHIM   AT   THE   DE   NOO   BALL  201 

sent  word  through  Annette  to  the  parlor  maid, 
that  she  must  order  the  butler,  who  must  order 
the  footman,  who  must  order  the  coachman  to 
come  round  with  the  clarence. 

"  Does  Annette  go  too,  with  Chim  ?  "  asked 
Mark,  "for  that  was  a  pretty  big  order,  Madame 
Mere." 

"•Oui,"  she  said. 

Presently  the  big  family  carriage,  drawn  by 
high-stepping,  docked  horses,  covered  with 
heavy  gold  -  mounted  harness,  and  rattling 
their  gilded  chains,  rolled  to  the  door,  and 
Madame,  Miss,  Mark,  and  Annette  holding 
Chim,  got  in. 

Mrs.  de  Noo  had  made  up  her  mind  that 
Chim  should  wear  amber  beads  to  strengthen 
his  eyes,  and  so  she  drove  first  to  Gait's,  where 
a  glittering  amber  necklace  was  fitted  to  his 
neck,  which  Chim  had  the  ill-taste  to  disap 
prove  of.  He  nearly  shook  his  head  off  trying 
to  get  rid  of  it,  but  all  to  no  purpose,  as  it  was 
securely  clasped,  and,  like  the  shirt  of  Nessus, 
stuck  on.  They  then  drove  to  Zimmerman's, 


2O2  CHIM 

where  Mrs.  de  Noo  had  been  told  all  the  upper 
ten  went  to  get  their  furniture. 

She  was  rather  disgusted  to  find  a  lot  of  old 
things,  but  Sis  assured  her  "  the  older  the  bet 
ter  ;"  so  she  began  a  tour  of  inspection,  pric 
ing  each  thing  as  she  went  along.  "  How 
much  is  that  grandfather's  clock,  mister,  and 
the  shovel  and  tongs  and  andirons  and  brass 
knocker  and  fender  and  silver  waiter  and  can 
dlesticks  and  snuffers  and  coasters  and  cracked 
china  and  English  glass,  oh,  and  that  dear 
cute  little  teapot  and  the  big  samovar  ? " — all 
in  a  breath,  but  she  bought  nothing.  Mr. 
Zimmerman,  as  always,  was  patient  and 
polite. 

Presently  she  came  to  a  corner  cupboard,  in 
which  were  locked  up  some  old  Dutch  silver 
and  an  exquisite  miniature  on  ivory.  It  was  a 
portrait  of  a  lovely  woman,  framed  in  a  gold 
case  set  round  with  jewels.  Mrs.  de  Noo, 
pointing  to  the  work  of  art,  asked,  "What's 
the  price  ? " 

"  That,"  replied  Mr.  Zimmerman,  "  is  a  very 


CHIM  AT  THE  DE  NOO  BALL     2O3 

costly  gem.  It  is  said  to  be  an  Isabey,  and  is 
the  portrait  of  a  court  lady;  probably  a  French 
Marchioness." 

"  You  don't  say  so  !  "  cried  she.  "  I  wonder 
if  she  belonged  to  our  family  of  the  La  Fay- 
ettes  ? " 

"  It  may  be  so,"  replied  he;  "  no  name  was 
given." 

"Just  what  I  wanted,"  said  the  lady.  The 
purchase  was  made,  and  Mrs.  de  Noo  drove 
off  in  triumph.  "  Let  the  others,  like  Mrs. 
Akme,"  she  said  to  Sis  when  they  got  home, 
"  buy  up  the  chipsofdale,  and  the  Saint  Do- 
mingos,  and  the  corner  cupsboard,  but  I've 
got  the  greatest  bargain  he  had." 

"  How  so  ?  "  asked  Sis.  "  I  know  you  paid 
a  lot." 

"  It's  worth  it,"  said  her  mother,  with  a  wink, 
"  for  I've  bought  an  ancestor,  being  your  orig 
inal  first  parent  and  greatest  grandmother,  the 
old  one  of  all  the  La  Fayettes  de  Noos." 

Now  that  the  ancestral  hall  was  swept  and 
garnished,  the  very  next  evening  the  mansion 


204  CHIM 

was  painfully  ablaze  with  electric  and  gas  lights, 
and  superbly  decorated  with  floral  and  other 
adornments,  for  the  long-heralded  ball. 

The  cotillion  was  to  begin  at  midnight. 
Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo  and  Miss  La  Fayette 
de  Noo  were  rather  fine-looking  women,  and 
held  themselves  well,  draped  in  superb  gowns. 
Could  they  have  only  posed  as  silent  Galateas 
all  would  have  gone  well. 

Miss  de  Noo  was  especially  noticeable,  for, 
as  she  stood  beside  her  mother,  held  fast  by  a 
long  silver  chain  that  was  buckled  to  her 
waist  was  Chim,  in  a  decollete  blue  satin  tunic 
gaily  decked  with  ribbons,  and  jeweled  anklets 
and  amber  necklace.  He  was  assisting  to  re 
ceive. 

"  He  was  gotten  up,"  in  common  parlance, 
"  without  regard  to  expense  !  " 

The  guests  were  invited  at  ten,  which,  by 
tacit  understanding,  means  eleven,  when  they 
all  came  in  a  rush. 

They  found  the  entire  family  drawn  up  in  line. 

The  patcr-fainilias  at  first  stoutly  swore — 


CIIIM   AT   THE    DE   NOO   BALL  20$ 

for  he  did  swear  under  provocation — and  offer 
ed  to  pay  a  big  sum  to  be  let  off;  but  they  all 
three  declared  that  "  the  family  dignity  was  at 
stake,"  and  Mark  loudest  of  all. 

So  he  had  to  stand  beside  his  wife,  and  hear 
himself  called  by  a  name  he  abhorred,  for  one 
hour,  which  seemed  to  him  without  end. 

Chim  was  placed  between  the  ladies,  and 
having  been  well  fed  previously,  as  also  all  the 
family,  to  enable  them  to  get  through  the  fa 
tigues  of  the  night,  he  occupied  himself  indif 
ferently,  chewing  up  and  fraying  out,  at  odd 
intervals  of  time,  the  Venetian  lace  furbelows 
and  flounces  of  Mrs.  de  Noo,  now  and  then 
pulling  off  the  border  of  ostrich  plumes  from 
Miss  de  Noo's  art  creation,  called  a  gown. 

Being  thus  intent  he  was  quiet,  and,  as  chil 
dren  often  are,  when  not  heard  from,  supposed 
to  be  good. 

The  crush  was  all  that  the  most  sanguine 
hostess  could  have  desired. 

It  was  said  that  one  woman  fainted,  but  she 
could  not  have  been  used  to  routs,  and  should 


2O6  CHIM 

not  have  come  at  all.  The  jam,  the  push,  the 
elbowing,  the  squeeze,  made  it  brilliant.  Ev 
erybody  said  so. 

The  lackeys  cried  out  the  arrivals,  announc 
ing  misnames  so  fast  it  was  deafening  and  to 
tally  bewildering. 

The  Washington  world,  old-fogy  residents 
excepted,  has  a  title,  and  the  roll-call  reminds 
one  of  the  naming  of  creation — or,  not  to  be  so 
grandiose,  of  the  Bonapartes  under  the  First 
Empire,  and  that  "  beat  all  creation,"  as  the 
Westerner  would  say. 

About  half-past  eleven  Mr.  Buncombe  Here 
ford  shook  hands  warmly  with  Mr.  La  Fayette 
de  Noo. 

They  were  well  known  to  each  other  in  a 
business  way,  and  when  the  two  millionaires 
clasped  hands  the  stocks  rose  and  fell  again, 
so  it  was  telegraphed  in  Wall  Street. 

Obscure  people,  who  make  honest  gains  and 
never  speculate,  have  not  the  very  faintest 
idea  of  what  it  may  mean  or  what  might  hap 
pen  when  big  guns  go  off. 


CHIM   AT   THE   DE   NOO   BALL  2O/ 

Now,  Mr.  Hereford,  as  has  already  been  ex 
plained,  was  exclusive  in  his  tastes. 

He  merely  intended  to  cover  a  prospective 
point  or  two  with  Larry  Noo,  stay  a  few  min 
utes,  and  slip  away  to  a  terrapin  and  cham 
pagne  supper  at  Welckers. 

When  he  shook  Larry  Noo's  hand — both 
hands — he  knew  the  honest  old  man  must  dis- 
,like  him;  but  that  made  no  difference  to  Bun 
combe  Hereford,  not  the  least. 

The  world  saw  the  friendly  meeting,  and 
after  bowing  to  Mrs.  de  Noo,  and  paying  a 
quiet  compliment  to  the  young  lady,  he  fell 
back,  with  a  slight  nod  to  Marquis — just  a  lit 
tle  back  of  the  line,  as  invited  exclusives  do  at 
the  presidential  mansion  receptions. 

He  was  a  man  of  imposing  presence,  and  as 
he  stood  a  few  steps  back  of  Mrs.  de  Noo,  calm 
ly  looking  on,  he  really  added  greatly  to  the 
dignity  of  the  group. 

Chim  was  so  preoccupied  that  he  paid  no 
attention  to  him. 

Of    course,    Mr.    Hereford's  thoughts    were 


208  CHIM 

elsewhere;  for  how  can  men  of  untold,  enor 
mous  wealth  be  other  than  absent-minded  ? 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Hereford,  to 
Mrs.  de  Noo's  great  satisfaction  Mrs.  Akme 
entered,  having  quite  a  regal  aspect,  and  ac 
companied  by  Alma. 

Some  one,  feeling  quite  sure  that  Mrs.  Akme 
would  not  be  there,  had  taken  that  considerate 
pains  the  world  often  has,  to  tell  Mrs.  de  Noo 
that  "  of  course  she  need  not  expect  Mrs. 
Akme,  who  only  attended  small  and  select 
companies;"  so  her  entrance  was  a  social  tri 
umph  for  the  hostess. 

Mr.  Hereford  at  once  accosted  Mrs.  Akme, 
as  society  seems  to  have  a  very  quick  insight 
as  to  the  desirable  acquaintances  it  must  cul 
tivate. 

Like  the  instinct  of  animals,  it  may  be  call 
ed  a  sixtli  sense.  It  is  cousin-german  to  tact, 
that  indefinable  essence  well-bred  people  have. 

A  moment  before,  this  aristocrat  had  an  air 
of  lofty  indifference  as  he  gazed  over  the  heads 
of  the  crowd,  doubtless  at  some  higher  invisi- 


CHIM  AT  THE  DE  NOO  BALL     2OQ 

ble  goal;  but  now  he  bowed  low,  and  as  he  at 
once  perceived  that  a  lovely  girl  was  with  Mrs. 
Aknie,  he  advanced  a  step  forward. 

Alma's  graceful  bearing  and  gracious  smile 
were  most  alluring,  and  the  simple  elegance 
of  a  perfectly  fitting  white  muslin  dress  would 
have  marked  her  as  a  woman  of  superior  re 
finement. 

.She  wore  no  jewelry,  no  furbelows,  no  rib 
bons,  only  a  few  natural  flowers,  and  one  mag 
nificent  rose  amid  the  heavy  coils  of  her  Gre 
cian  coiffed  hair. 

"  She  is,"  thought  this  hardened  man  of  the 
world,  "  statuesque,  classic,  fresh,  and  delicate; 
ah,  what  a  rose  to  pluck  and  wear  !  " 

He  was  hastening  to  beg  an  introduction 
when  suddenly  he  saw  the  bound  of  a  skye- 
terrier  almost  under  his  feet,  as  with  repeated 
yelps  of  delight,  he  rolled  over  and  over  before 
the  fair  being,  who,  in  her  turn,  utterly  forget 
ful  of  her  surroundings,  knelt  down,  embracing 
him  again  and  again  and  yet  again:  "  Chim, 
Chim,  darling  Chim,"  she  kept  repeating. 


210  CHIM 

An  electric  thrill  ran  through  the  crowd,  for 
what  is  most  appreciated,  because  most  rare  in 
society,  was  being  enactod — a  scene  !  Every 
one  pressed  forward. 

Miss  de  Noo  was  utterly  indignant.  "  Please 
pass  on,"  she  said,  "or  we  shall  be  literally 
crushed." 

But  that  was  easier  said  than  done.  If  Alma 
retreated,  Chim  tugged  frantically  at  his  chain. 

Mark,  at  once  taking  in  the  situation  and 
entirely  captivated  by  Alma's  beauty,  with  ad 
mirable  presence  of  mind  quietly  unbuckled 
the  chain  from  his  sister's  waist,  and  placed  the 
dog  in  Alma's  arms. 

They  at  once  retreated  from  the  room. 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  whispered  Alma;  "  it 
is  Chim." 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Mrs.  Akme,  in  deepest  in 
dignation.  "  But  now,  we  can  only  leave  him 
here  and  get  out  of  the  house  as  quickly  as  pos 
sible." 

Mark  took  the  dog  and  ran  with  him,  strug 
gling,  barking,  and  snapping,  to  a  remote  attic 


CHIM    AT   THE   DE    NOO   BALL  211 

room,  where,  removed  from  society,  he  could 
meditate  at  leisure  upon  the  ephemeral  nature 
and  the  nothingness  of  social  prestige  ! 

And  so  ended  the  ball  for  Alma,  and  all 
through  the  persistency  of  Chim. 

Mr.  Hereford  was  greatly  chagrined  at  the 
unexpected  turn  things  had  taken,  but  he  very 
placidly  inquired  of  his  hostess  who  the  young 
lady  was. 

"A  very  pert  girl,"  said  that  lady,  whose 
temper  was  ruffled.  "  She  is  a  niece  of  Mrs. 
Akme." 

The  gentleman  offered  her  his  arm,  saying 
it  was  now  midnight,  and  that  she  needed 
a  little  promenade. 

"  You  see,"  said  Mrs.  de  Noo,  confidentially, 
"  they  may  think  it's  their  dog,  for  it's  one  of  a 
pair  of  twins,  and  I  saw  the  first  Chim  at  Mrs. 
Akme's,  and  was  determined  to  have  one  like 
him,  and  so  I  advertised  that  money  was  no 
consideration,  when  sure  enough,  a  man  came 
to  me  with  this  twin  of  the  same  name,  and  I 
bought  him  at  a  great  bargain  for  five  hundred 


212  CHIM 

dollars,  although  the  man  said  he  was  worth 
more.  This  Mrs.  Akme  may  think  he  is  hers, 
but  he's  no  such  thing.  I  bought  the  Sheen  and 
mean  to  hold  on  to  him.  Voos-comprcncz  ?  " 
she  added,  giving  his  arm  a  pinch. 

"Perfectly,  madam,"  said  that  gentleman, 
smiling  in  his  sinister  way.  "  Pray,  excuse  me 
now,  as  I  happen  to  have  a  pressing  engage 
ment." 

Soon  after  midnight  the  german  commenced. 

The  Duke  di  Svelto-Sveltazza  led,  and  long 
Avill  that  ball  be  chronicled  in  social  circles, 
for  its  peculiar  and  bewildering  arrangements, 
for  the  favors  were  silken  purses,  and  in  their 
netted  depths  were  pieces  of  money. 

This  was  the  bright,  original  idea  of  Larry 
Noo,  who,  when  his  wife  had  asked  him  for  a 
check  to  buy  favors,  had  said,  "  Nonsense, 
mother,  give  them  the  Simon  Pure,  according 
to  their  needs." 

And  so  it  was  decided  to  distribute  to  the 
foreigners  gold,  to  the  Americans  silver. 

The  only  exception   to  the  rule    being  Dr. 


CHIM   AT   THE   DE   NOO   BALL  213 

Mensana,  to  whom  Miss  de  Noo  presented  a 
twenty-dollar  gold  piece. 

But  the  Washingtonians  threw  their  purses 
at  the  flunkeys  as  they  passed  out,  and  what 
became  of  the  rest  is  as  secret  as  the  archives 
of  the  State  Department. 

No  one  knows,  and,  what  is  more,  no  one 
cares -to  know. 

At  the  supper,  there  was  the  placing  of  the 
court  circle,  and  then  a  quick  closing  of  the 
doors. 

Mrs.  de  Noo  remarked  to  the  duke,  "  Not 
one  of  the  Corpse  is  left  out  in  the  cold.  I 
took  care  of  that." 

Dr.  Mensana  was  smuggled  in  behind  a 
screen  by  Miss  de  Noo,  and  as  to  the  Ameri 
cans,  the  descendants  of  the  Bunker  Hill  men 
and  the  Cincinnati,  they  heard  the  popping  of 
champagne  corks  and  were  cheerful. 

It  is  probable  there  will  never  be  a  repeti 
tion  on  the  same  scale  of  a  similar  festivity,  for 
the  air  of  Washington  is  unfavorable  to  the 
cultivation  of  a  continuous  mushroom  growth. 


CHAPTER   IX 

CHIM   AS   A   CONNECTING   LINK 

MR.  BUNCOMBE  HEREFORD  had  obtained 
the  desired  information  through  the  garrulity 
of  Mrs.  Lafayette  de  Noo,  and  as  that  was  all 
he  wanted,  he  quietly  hastened  away. 

He  met  with  no  detention,  as  he  had  taken 
the  very  sensible  precaution  in  such  a  crowded 
reception  of  having  his  footman  stand  at  the 
door  .with  his  wraps. 

The  engagement  to  meet  some  members  of 
a  syndicate  at  a  midnight  supper  at  Welcker's 
had  to  be  met,  and  during  this  Lucullian  re 
past,  the  various  aspects  of  a  trust,  that  was 
not  being  handled  in  a  very  satisfactory  way, 
were  discussed. 

The  magnificent  and  unscrupulous  daring  of 
Hereford  was  what  was  needed  to  give  its 

combinations  an  impetus,  and  so,  disguised  by 
214 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  21$ 

the  most  formal  and  guarded  language,  the 
scheme  of  wholesale  robbery  was  matured. 

A  band  of  bandits  may  plan  to  stop  a  stage 
coach  or  a  railroad  train,  with  the  tacit  inten 
tion  of  murdering  any  man,  woman,  or  child 
who  may  resist  their  lawlessness,  and  yet  not 
expose  by  set  forms  of  words  their  cruel  de 
signs". 

>  Petty  thieves  in  their  turn  make  use  of  slang 
expressions  that  cast  an  air  of  bold  bravado 
over  their  sneaking  villanies,  even  among 

themselves. 

u 

And  each  and  every  nefarious  enterprise 
wears  its  own  special  mask,  behind  which  it 
cowers  to  strike  the  fatal  blow. 

And  so  this  monstrous  and  iniquitous  trust, 
whose  machinations  were  destined  to  smother 
honest  industry,  destroy  all  hope  of  success 
for  private  enterprise,  deprive  the  toiling 
masses  of  men  of  the  well-earned  fruit  of  their 
labors,  then  dictate  to  a  pillaged  people  its 
own  terms  of  enforced  serfdom,  this  wholesale 
scheme  of  corrupt  and  tyrannous  measures,  was 


2l6  CHIM 

the  Machiavellian  plot  of  these  leaders  of  men. 
As  everything  that  Midas  touched  hardened 
into  gold,  so  even  the  forms  of  speech  among 
these  master  minds  were  cold,  polished,  molt 
en,  glittering  and  compact. 

And  no  vein  of  sympathy  for  suffering  hu 
manity  weakened  their  callous  hearts;  no  ray 
of  benevolence  could  be  detected  in  their  im 
passive  manner;  no  tear  of  pity  ever  percolat 
ed  through  the  fissureless  solidity  and  iron 
strength  of  their  resolve,  but  they  held  on 
their  way  with  relentless  will,  never  heeding 
the  wide-spread  ruin  they  effected. 

So  this  evening,  seemingly  yielding  to  con 
vivial  enjoyment,  with  approving  smiles,  and 
well-chosen  phrases,  under  the  decorous  con 
cealments  of  the  apt  uses  of  words,  one  of 
those  gigantic  iniquities,  that  in  its  disastrous 
monopoly  overrides  freedom  even  in  this  God- 
chosen  country,  reached  its  culminating  aims. 
And  so  these  scourges  of  the  human  race 
parted,  with  the  mark  of  Cain  upon  their  souls. 

The  night  was  far  spent,  and  leaning   into 


CIIIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  2I/ 

early  dawn  when  Hereford  retired,  and  in  sad 
need  of  rest. 

But  that  teeming  brain,  filled  with  vast  pro 
jects,  had  revolted  against  the  demands  of  its 
slave,  the  body,  and  refused  to  sink  into  the 
lethargy  of  sleep. 

There  was  no  rest  for  its  overtaxed  energies, 
but  rather  it  was  called  upon  to  do  battle  with 
-the  accusing  soul. 

Doubtless,  during  the  eternity  of  hell's  tor 
ments,  in  the  retrospect  of  the  probation  period 
of  human  existence,  it  will  be  clearly  under 
stood  that  in  this  life  were  presented  succes 
sive  opportunities  to  turn  off  from  the  broad 
highway  that  leads  to  ruin,  into  paths  of  peace. 

And  that  night,  when  sleep  was  in  vain 
courted,  the  memories  of  his  past  thronged 
upon  him  with  heavy  weight. 

And  first  there  stood  before  him,  like  a 
presence,  that  fair  young  orphan  girl  whose 
heart  and  hand  he  had  won,  and  whose  for 
tune  he  had  used  as  a  stepping  stone,  much 
needed  at  the  time,  to  attain  other  ends. 


2l8  CHIM 

But  now  she  moaned,  a  jibbering  lunatic,  im 
mured  these  many  years  in  a  maniac's  cell. 
But  was  it  not  his  cruelty  that  had  bereft  her 
of  reason  ?  He  had  had  the  power  to  ruth 
lessly  send  her  away,  to  relegate  her  to  a 
hopeless  incarceration  as  one  insane,  and  when 
that  dread  doom  had  first  overtaken  her,  how 
had  it  been  ?  Was  reason  at  that  time  really 
dethroned  ?  He  alone  knew  the  cause  of  her 
apathetic,  deep-seated  melancholy,  which  was 
nursed  into  madness.  Had  not  the  heartbreak 
of  neglect  and  ill  usage  been  hers,  in  cruel  re 
turn  for  trusting  love  ? 

And  what  had  Satan,  for  his  trembling  soul 
knew  the  presence  of  its  Master,  although  in 
visible  to  mortal  vision,  what  had  he  given  him  ? 
Naught  but  ashes  of  bitterness  and  presaged 
torture  of  despair. 

Pleasures  fatigued  him;  power  had  a  leaden 
weight;  the  senses  exacted  more  than  the  body 
could  grant;  siren  voices  had  lost  their  fascina 
ting  power  to  sated  ears,  but  the  tempter  whis 
pered, "There  remains  one  gratification  to  seek," 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  2 19 

The  time  has  come  to  throw  off  the  burden  of 
a  crazy  wife,  and,  once  divorced  and  free,  find 
solace  in  the  artless  innocence  of  the  beautiful 
girl  whose  captivations  are  so  alluring.  And 
through  this  enchanting  companionship,  a 
fresher,  purer  life  will  be  gained. 

"Of  course,"  he  soliloquized,  "there  can  be 
no  difficulties  of  real  moment  to  overcome. 
.Mrs.  Akme  will  be  pleased  to  have  her  niece 
make  so  brilliant  an  alliance,  and  no  inexperi 
enced  girl  can  resist  all  the  inducements  I  can 
offer — and  all  this  aside  from  my  personal  mag 
netism." 

It  was  soothing  at  last  to  have  had  his  fever 
ed  fancies  turned  into  pleasing  channels,  and 
toward  morning  he  fell  asleep. 

But  with  the  day's  stir  and  movement  he 
awoke,  dominated  by  the  influence  of  the  last 
wish  of  the  night,  and  determined  at  once  to 
use  means  to  obtain  his  end. 

It  first  occurred  to  him  that  Mrs.  La  Fayette 
de  Noo  had  asserted  that  Alma  should  never 
have  her  dog,  but  he  would  quickly  secure  Chim 


220  CHIM 

for  his  mistress,  and  earn  her  gratitude,  for  he 
knew  she  would  be  grateful,  he  having  witness 
ed  the  affecting  scene  of  their  unexpected  meet 
ing,  and  the  strong  love  they  bore  each  other. 

He  felt  quite  sure  that  the  thief,  who  had  for 
a  published  compensation  been  induced  to 
steal  Chim  from  Mrs.  Akme,  would  find  means, 
if  the  temptation  was  repeated,  to  steal  him 
once  again  from  Mrs.  de  Noo. 

Prompt  action  always,  with  Hereford,  waited 
as  a  handmaid  upon  resolve.  In  that  Morning 
Post,  and  in  that  Evening  Star,  was  an  adver 
tisement  : 

}\'anted. — A  skye-terrier  like  Mrs.  La  Fayette  de 
Noo's,  for  which  a  most  liberal  price  will  be  paid,  if 
promptly  procured.  Address,  B.  H.,  this  office. 

These  advertisements  despatched,  he  recol 
lected  to  have  been  told  that  Mrs.  Akme's 
niece  had  wonderful  talent  both  as  a  pianist  and 
harpist,  and  he  thought  it  must  please  her  to 
have  an  opportunity  presented  for  the  exhibi 
tion  of  these  accomplishments. 

So  an  invitation  was  at  once  sent  to  Mrs. 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  221 

Akme,  and  to  Miss  Akme,  to  attend  a  small 
uuisicalc,  the  next  evening  at  nine  o'clock,  at 
his  house.  Having  written  these  notes,  he  in 
structed  his  secretary  to  attend  to  all  the  details 
for  such  a  soiree,  reminding  him  that  in  the 
selection  of  guests,  the  talent  to  be  engaged, 
the  supper  to  be  ordered,  he  must  direct  so 
that  every  arrangement  should  be  faultless. 

Thus  having  spread  his  meshes  to  catch  the 
unwary,  and  feeling  quite  sure  of  success  from 
past  experience,  he  calmly  turned  his  attention 
to  the  vast  projects  in  hand,  with  that  intense 
power  of  concentration  and  abstraction  that 
marked  the  strength  of  his  mental  grasp,  and 
made  him  always  a  dreaded  factor  in  whatever 
he  undertook.  But  to  revert  to  the  previous 
night:  Marquis  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  had,  as  a 
spectator  of  the  thrilling  scene  that  evening  of 
the  meeting  between  Alma  and  Chim,  quite  lost 
his  heart.  And  it  was  with  much  emotion  that 
he  had  placed  the  beloved  little  creature  in  the 
arms  of  his  beautiful  mistress,  assisting  her  to 
leave  his  mother's  crowded  drawing-room, 


222  CHIM 

while  the  pretty  French  maid,  who  had  taken 
a  deeper  hold  upon  his  fancy  than  he  him 
self  was  aware  of,  underwent  a  temporary 
eclipse. 

At  the  close  of  the  ball,  and  toward  morning 
he  had  sought  his  room,  the  last  guest,  except 
Dr.  Mensana,  having  departed. 

That  scientist  was  deep  in  the  explanation 
of  the  theory  of  his  Elixir  of  Life,  to  Miss  La 
Fayette  de  Noo,  and  she  was  evidently  so  in 
terested  in  the  discoverer  as  to  be  willing  to 
embrace  the  discovery. 

By  the  time  Marquis  reached  his  chamber  the 
house  had  become  quiet,  and  he  could  hear  the 
barking  of  Chim  from  the  attic,  where  he  had 
taken  him  for  temporary  imprisonment. 

So  he  concluded  to  liberate  the  skye  from 
where  he  was,  and  shut  him  up  in  the  dressing- 
closet  attached  to  his  bedroom.  "  As  to  my 
self,"  he  thought,  "  I  am  tired  enough  to  sleep 
if  a  pack  of  hounds  were  let  loose  around  me." 

But  Marquis  was  mistaken.  He  had  yet  to 
learn  that  the  sharp  continuous  bark  of  one 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  223 

little  clog  might  develop  mental  aberration. 
Being  thus  unexpectedly  kept  awake  by  this 
musical  discord,  his  fancy  again  reverted  to 
Alma,  and  he  made  up  his  mind  to  please  that 
lovely  girl  at  all  hazards,  but  he  was  also 
ready  to  hang  the  dog  rather  than  spend  another 
night  within  ear-shot. 

Thinking  over  the  situation,  a  masterly 
gourse  of  action  was  decided  upon.  It  was  ev 
ident  that  the  dog  was  Alma's,  and  no  less  so, 
that  his  mother,  by  her  inconsiderate  advertise 
ment,  must  have  unwittingly  induced  some  one 
to  steal  him  from  her.  This  idea  as  it  flashed 
upon  him,  greatly  tickled  his  fancy,  and  he  grew 
very  hilarious  at  the  mere  conceit  as  he  said  to 
himself,  "It's  the  best  thing  out:  mother  has 
paid  five  hundred  dollars  to  some  thief  who  has 
stolen  the  dog  for  her,  and  Sis  had  the  beast 
buckled  to  her  waist  at  the  ball  ! "  Thereupon 
the  youth  laughed  so  long  and  so  loud  that  his 
father  came  to  the  door,  thinking  he  had  lost 
his  senses. 

"  What's  up  now,  Mark  ?"  he  said.     "  Letup 


224  CIIIM 

and  give  a  man  a  chance  to  rest,  will  you  ? 
I've  not  had  one  wink  of  sleep  this  night,  al 
though  I  went  to  my  room  at  one  o'clock,  and 
took  a  hot  milk  punch,  but  the  infernal  hulla 
baloo  all  over  this  house  would  have  waked  the 
dead.  Then,  just  as  all  was  still,  the  howling 
of  that  horrid  dog  began." 

"  I've  been  kept  awake,  too,"  said  the  son. 

"Suppose  we  choke  the  wretch  or  drown 
him,"  suggested  Larry  Noo.  "  Mother  need 
never  be  the  wiser." 

"  We  can't  have  that  pleasure,  governor," 
answered  Mark,  "  because  he  ain't  ours  to  choke 
or  drown  :  mother  bought  him  of  a  thief  who 
stole  him." 

"You  don't  say  so  !  "  gasped  honest  Larry, 
his  face  turning  purple  mottled,  as  if  he  were 
about  to  have  an  apoplectic  fit. 

"  But  I  do  say  so,"  reiterated  the  youngster, 
who  of  all  things  enjoyed  "  working  up  people," 
as  he  called  it. 

His  father  gasped  and  looked  beseechingly. 

"You    see,    governor,"   continued    his    son, 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  225 

"that  dog  really  belongs  to  that  handsome 
niece  of  Mrs.  Akme.  Mother,  after  that  night 
we  went  there,  fussed  to  get  a  performing  clog 
like  him,  and  bought  him  at  a  big  price." 

"  I  see,"  said  the  father,  looking  much  re 
lieved.  "But  how  to  go  about  it?  Your 
mother  has  the  grit  of  Julius  Caesar  and  she 
says  s-he  means  to  hold  on  to  the  dog." 

"  It's  easy  enough  managed,"  said  the  son. 
"  I'll  make  Annette  get  me  the  quilt  he  came 
wrapped  in,  and  I'll  cover  up  his  head  so  as  to 
smother  his  yelps,  and  take  him  back  to  Mrs. 
Akme  myself." 

"And  you  may  take  a  father's  blessing  with 
him,"  added  the  delighted  Larry  Noo,  as  he 
went  back  to  his  room  vastly  pleased. 

"  And  I,"  said  Mark  to  himself,  "  will  kill 
two  birds  with  one  stone,  for  when  I  give  that 
lovely  girl  her  dog  I'll  just  ask  her  to  take  me 
too,  thrown  in." 

Mrs.  Akme  and  Alma  had  just  risen  from  a 
ten  o'clock  breakfast,  where  they  had  loitered 
somewhat,  talking  over,  under  its  various  as- 


226  CHIM 

pects,  the  affair  of  Chim's  captivit}-,  a  matter 
which  was  at  the  same  time  being  freely  com 
mented  upon  at  half  the  breakfast  tables  of  the 
elite,  or  rather  the  town,  for  every  one  was  at 
the  ball.  It  is  curious  anyhow  to  listen  to  the 
critical  comments  made  by  society  upon  the 
entertainments  they  give  each  other,  where 
any  hostess  may  deem  herself  fortunate  to  es 
cape;  as  it  would  seem  to  have  passed  into  an 
unwritten  law  of  the  code  of  fashion — that  if 
everything  is  in  faultless  taste  it  may  be  ac 
cepted  in  silence,  but  that  the  slightest  infringe 
ment  of  the  laws  of  etiquette  is  not  to  be  for 
given.  Thus,  the  assumptions,  pretentious 
and  underbred  ways  of  the  La  Fayette  de 
Noos  afforded  so  much  merriment  that,  in  a 
manner  quite  unsuspected  by  themselves,  they 
became  public  benefactors. 

"  I  never  before  understood,"  said  Alma, 
"how  really  absurd  a  crush  is.  I  can  now 
comprehend  why  well  -  bred  people  avoid 
them." 

"  The  only  persons  whom  they  genuinely 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  227 

please,"  said  Mrs.  Akme,  "  are  those  outsiders 
who  never  in  any  other  way  meet  the  exclu- 
sives,  and  yet  these  respectable  citizens  should 
rather  resent  the  contact,  for  the  spoiled  chil 
dren  of  fashion  know  how  to  be  unmercifully 
rude  to  all  others  than  their  own  clique." 

"  It  is  a  pity,"  sighed  Alma,  remembering 
her  own  recent  struggle  with  a  pitiless  world, 
"that  money  enough  to  have  endowed  a  house 
for  homeless  girls  should  have  been,  as  it  were, 
squandered  without  results." 

"Not  exactly  that,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Akme; 
"  the  large  sums  spent  in  the  ball  of  last  night 
and  similar  displays  are  after  all  divided  among 
many  tradespeople,  who  in  turn  employ  others. 
This,  dear,  is  a  sort  of  question  of  political 
economy." 

"  And  of  private  extravagance,"  added  Al 
ma,  laughing. 

"  But  to  revert  to  Chim,"  said  Mrs.  Akme, 
ringing  for  a  servant.  "  I  will  order  my  car 
riage,  and  see  if  Lennox  Montague  has  return 
ed,  and  consult  him  about  the  best  way  to  get 


228  CHIM 

the  dear  little  creature  back — for,  ridiculous  as 
it  is,  there  is  a  legal  aspect  in  his  detention." 

"  Has  Mr.  Montague  been  out  of  town  ?  "  in 
quired  Alma  in  a  hesitating  voice,  that  indi 
cated  some  feeling,  for  she  had  been  rather 
hurt  by  his  prolonged  absence,  but  felt  too 
timid  to  ask  about  him. 

Mrs.  Akme  was  a  very  quick  observer  natu 
rally,  and  her  long  society  training  had  aided 
her  perceptions,  and  she  at  once  noticed  the 
slight  tremor  in  Alma's  usually  calm  voice, 
but  she  replied  in  a  nonchalant  way: 

"  Yes,  dear;  I  thought  you  knew  that  Lennox 
had  been  called  out  of  town  on  some  important 
business.  Had  the  dear  boy  been  here  we 
would  doubtless  have  seen  him  daily,  for,  young 
as  he  is,  I  quite  lean  upon  his  business  percep 
tions  for  advice.  Then,  I  loved  his  mother, 
which  is  a  strong  tie." 

Alma  sighed  with  the  sad  thoughts  of  the 
past;  and  she  passed  on  into  the  music-room 
for  a  long  practice,  and  Mrs.  Akme  went  to 
her  own  room  to  get  ready  for  the  drive. 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  229 

They  had  scarcely  separated,  and  Alma  was 
trying  something  new  for  the  piano,  when  the 
door  was  quietly  pushed  open,  and  Chim  bound 
ed  in. 

There  was  a  rapturous  greeting,  and  an  ex 
clamation  of,  "  Ah,  Chim,  did  you  run  away  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all  Miss, "said  Mr.  Marquis  La  Fay- 
ette  de  Noo,  as  he  followed  the  terrier,  unan 
nounced,  hat  in  hand,  and  speaking  right  out 
in  his  natural,  frank  way,  "  I  have  brought  this 
dog  back  to  you."  He  looked  so  pleased,  and 
manly,  too,  as  he  stood  there,  that  as  Alma 
came  forward  to  shake  hands  in  her  unaffected 
way,  and  thank  him  warmly,  she  thought  him 
positively  handsome.  She  had  really  scarcely 
noticed  him  before,  but  now  she  said  to  herself: 
"  He  is  a  nice  fellow,  and  so  thoughtful  and 
kind." 

"Excuse  me  a  moment,"  she  said,  "and  I 
will  go  and  let  Mrs.  Akme  know  of  your  con 
siderate  attention,  for  she,  too,  will,  I  am  sure, 
desire  to  thank  you." 

"  Please  don't,"  said  the  young  man,  twirling 


230  CHIM 

his  hat  round  on  the  top  of  his  cane.  "  I — I — 
would  rather  have  you  thank  me."  Alma  sat 
down  blushing,  for  there  was  that  in  his  voice 
and  manner  that  to  her  quick  insight  betrayed 
him. 

They  were  both  embarrassed,  and  Chim 
came  to  the  rescue,  filling  up  an  awkward 
pause.  It  was  amusing  to  see  him  smell  each 
separate  thing  in  that  room,  then  inspect  the 
apartment,  with  a  careful  gravity  of  proprietor 
ship,  as  if  to  satisfy  himself  that  all  was  right. 

Being  evidently  satisfied,  he  ended  his  tour 
of  investigation  by  jumping  up  into  Alma's  lap, 
whereat  the  two  spectators  laughed  a  little, 
and  Chim  laughed. 

"  First,"  said  the  gentleman,  clearing  his 
throat,  "I  beg  that  you  and  Mrs.  Akme  will 
not  misjudge  my  mother.  It  is  only  fair  to  her 
to  say  that  she  honestly  believes  the  dog  to  be 
hers;  and  I  have  brought  him  to  you  without 
her  knowledge,  having  sort  of  kidnapped  the 
little  fellow." 

Alma  involuntarily  gave  a  slight  start. 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  23! 

"  You  see,  Miss  Akme,"  he  commenced — 

"  Aylvvyn,"  said  she,  quietly  correcting  him. 

"  Beg  pardon,  Miss  Aylwyn,"  said  Mark, 
again  quite  confused.  "  I  was  told  that  you  were 
a  Miss  Akme." 

She  bowed  stiffly.  Poor  Mark  had  uncon 
sciously  committed  a  faux-pas  by  the  use  of 
that  terrible  generic  "  a." 

.  There  was  a  momentary  silence;  and  the 
maladroit  boy  resumed,  "  You  see,  Miss,  moth 
er  advertised  for  a  dog  like  Mrs.  Akme's,  and 
a  man  brought  her  Chim,  to  whom  she  paid 
five  hundred  dollars,  and  she  really  thinks  he 
is  hers  by  right  of  purchase." 

"  I  understand  perfectly,"  said  Alma,  to 
whom  this  avowal  was  a  revelation  that  at  once 
explained  the  crowd  before  the  house  that  day, 
and  the  subsequent  stealing  of  the  dog — only 
it  was  rather  uncomfortable  to  think  of  any 
thief  having  had  such  ready  access  to  the  house. 

"  The  explanation  is  very  satisfactory,"  said 
she,  after  a  moment's  pause,  during  which  all 
these  mental  suggestions  made  things  clear  to 


232  CHIM 

her,  and  she  added,  "  We  shall  always  be  grate 
ful  to  you,  but,  after  all,  it  is  very  embarrassing." 

"Oh,  not  at  all,"  replied  he.  "Chim  was 
stolen  from  you,  bought  by  mother,  and  I've 
stolen  him  in  turn  from  her,  to  keep  the  ball 
rolling.  It's  clear  fun  anyhow." 

And  they  both  laughed,  leaving  any  ethical 
law  involved  to  the  moral  philosophers. 

Now  they  were  on  good  terms,  and  Mark,  be 
ing  more  at  his  ease,  said  to  himself,  "  This  is 
your  chance."  So,  drawing  his  chair  a  little 
nearer,  as  rustics  are  wont  to  do,  he  said,  brave 
ly  enough  : 

"  My  dear  Miss  Aylwyn,  I  captured  Chim, 
but  you  have  captured  me  :  it's  a  perfect  rout, 
bag  and  baggage.  You  have  your  dog;  can't 
you  love  me  a  little  for  his  sake  ?  " 

It  was  such  a  queer  confession,  and  struck 
Alma  as  being  so  ludicrous,  and  yet  this  was 
the  first  time  any  man  had  ever  asked  her  love 
in  a  downright  way,  and  she  felt  a  sort  of  grati 
tude  at  being  loved. 

"  How  very  odd   it  is,"  thought  she,   "  that 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  233 

through  Chim  I  should  have  my  first  offer  of 
marriage,  and  it  may  be  my  last,  for  all  I  know," 
she  said  to  herself,  but  she  could  not  deceive 
her  dual,  who  whispered  back,  "  There  will  be 
one  other  through  Chim." 

So,  giving  Chim  just  a  little  caress,  which 
must  have  been  very  aggravating  to  the  poor 
lover, 'that  it  was  not  bestowed  upon  him,  she 
answered  with  charming  candor, 

"  You  shall  ever  be  my  dear  friend,  indeed 
you  shall ;  we  will  be  the  best  of  friends,  for  I 
love  my  dog,  and  I  really  like  you." 

And  just  at  this  bewildering  moment  Chim, 
who  had  been  listening  attentively,  leaped  down 
from  Alma's  lap,  as  he  barked  a  welcome  to 
Mrs.  Akme. 

But  Mr.  Marquis  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  who 
was  smart  enough  to  feel  keenly  all  that  the  in 
vidious  discrimination  of  Alma  implied,  hurried 
ly  bowed  himself  out,  and  drove  rapidly  away. 

As  the  youth  threw  himself  in  rather  a  dis 
gusted  mood  in  the  coupe,  he  soliloquized  in 
this  wise  :  "  She  certainly  is  a  raring-tearing 


234  CHIM 

beauty,  but  she  makes  a  man  half  afraid  of  her 
with  her  look  of  a  queen.  Yes,  if  such  a  woman 
would  only  smile  on  a  man,  he  could  lose  his 
senses  easy,  and  even,  perhaps  at  first,  play  sec 
ond  fiddle  to  an  ugly  dog.  But  as  to  my  taste, 
when  it  comes  to  loving  a  woman  who  knows 
your  worth,  and  having  a  real  jolly  life  of  it — 
give  me  Annette  any  day,  that  is,  if  the  pretty 
creature  would  have  me,  for  I'm  learning  that 
women  are  worse  riddles  than  Chinese  puzzles." 

Ah,  had  the  whispering  winds  only  brought  to 
the  ears  of  Mrs.  La  Layette  de  Noo  this  thought 
of  her  promising  son  and  heir,  in  defiance  of  all 
family  dignity,  she  would  have  set  up  a  howl 
far  more  heartbreaking  than  that  with  which 
he  was  saluted  when  he  returned  Chimless. 

But  the  "  governor,"  as  his  son  called  him, 
quietly  and  surreptitiously  slipped  a  fat  check 
in  his  hand,  in  grateful  recognition  of  the  rid 
dance. 

And  to  add  to  the  intense  discomfort  that  the 
ill-humor  of  the  ladies  brought  upon  the  La 
Fayette  de  Noo  family,  during  all  of  the  next 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  235 

day,  and  even  on  the  succeeding  one,  the  pave 
ment,  street,  and  carriage-way,  in  front  of 
their  splendid  mansion,  were  most  unpleasant 
ly  occupied  by  a  motley  concourse  of  persistent 
loafers,  who  passed  their  time  in  gazing  up  at 
the  windows. 

"  Vraymcnt"  said  Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo, 
"  I  shall  have  to  go  right  straight  back  to  Paris 
to  live  there  for  good,  where  I  can  be  over 
seen  night  and  day  by  a  polite  police,  who  will 
keep  this  public  gaze  from  being  troublesome." 

And  Miss  Marie  Jeanne  tossed  her  head,  and 
remarked — "America  is  such  a  savage  country." 
And  Larry  Noo  suggested,  that  "  the  rogues 
expected,  and  perhaps  are  waiting  for  a  free 
lunch  after  the  all-fired  racket  of  that  ball." 

And  Marquis  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  stealing  a 
glance  at  Annette  for  approval,  remarked, 
"  Anyhow  the  company  outside  make  things 
lively,  and  I  like  it." 

But  not  one  of  them  had  read  the  advertise 
ments  of  the  Washington  Post,  or  the  Evening 
Star,  or  they  would  have  known  better. 


236  CHIM 

When  Mrs.  Akme  had  so  opportunely  dis 
turbed  the  tctc-a-tete  of  the  two  young  people, 
she  had  just  received  a  charmingly  written 
little  note  from  Mr.  Hereford,  requesting  the 
pleasure  of  her  company,  and  that  of  her  niece, 
Miss  Akme,  to  a  small  nmsicale  at  his  house 
the  next  evening;  and  the  invitation  was  ac 
companied  by  a  superb  basket  of  La  France 
roses,  which  he  begged  she  would  accept  as  a 
slight  expression  of  his  great  pleasure  at  the 
renewal  of  an  acquaintance  which  had  always 
been  so  agreeably  remembered  by  him. 

Mrs.  Akme  had  intended  reading  the  note 
to  Alma  when  she  came  in  the  room,  but 
amidst  the  excitement  of  finding  Chim,  and 
the  amused  astonishment  of  hearing  what  had 
just  happened,  she  quite  forgot  to  mention  about 
Mr.  Hereford's  note  or  flowers. 

For  Alma  repeated  the  whole  scene  to  her 
in  the  most  animated  and  inimitable  manner, 
with  the  same  conscientious  exactitude  with 
which  she  would  have  confided  a  secret  to  her 
own  dear  mother. 


CHIM  AS  A  CONNECTING  LINK  237 

Lennox  Montague  was  a  welcome  guest  that 
evening,  and,  as  he  had  a  fine  voice,  and  Alma 
played  accompaniments  with  great  taste,  the 
trio  enjoyed  a  feast  of  music,  and  as  he  was 
going  away  Mrs.  Akme  asked  him  to  dine  with 
them  the  next  day,  and  be  their  escort  to  a 
musicale  to  which  they  were  invited  by  an  old 
acquaintance. 

"  And  I,  too,  have  received  an  invitation," 
said  he.  "  I  suppose,  Mrs.  Akme,  you  allude  to 
the  syndicate  magnate.  I  shall  be  so  happy  to 
dine  with  you,  and  so  honored  to  be  your  es 
cort." 

And  so  it  was  arranged  for  the  next  evening 
to  the  common  satisfaction  of  the  little  party. 


CHAPTER   X 

CHIM'S    THIRD    ADVENTURE 

STRANGELY  enough,  Alma  found  herself  a 
guest  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Hereford,  without 
knowing  the  name  of  her  host.  She  had  heard 
Lennox  allude  to  him  as  "  a  syndicate  mag 
nate,"  without  having  her  interest  awakened 
in  the  least  as  to  who  or  what  he  was.  It  was 
evident  that  she  lacked  the  world's  apprecia 
tive  training. 

And  it  happened  that  Mrs.  Akme,  who  was 
rather  disposed  to  be  punctilious  in  all  matters 
of  form,  and  who  understood  conventional 
rules,  had  quite  overlooked  mentioning  the 
name  of  their  distinguished  amphitryon.  This 
seeming  inadvertence  on  her  part  rather  arose 
from  the  fact  that  he  was  a  man  of  such  marked 

social  distinction  that  there  was  the  implied 
238 


CHIM'S   THIRD    ADVENTURE  239 

supposition  that  every  cne  knew  who  he  was, 
or,  at  the  very  least,  his  name. 

And  so,  by  a  fortuitous  combination  of  cir 
cumstances,  they  met,  really  without  introduc 
tion.  Mr.  Hereford  having  been  informed  that 
Alma  was  Miss  Akme,  had  bowed  to  her  with 
out  repeating  her  name. 

Then  Alma  accompanied  Mrs.  Akme  as  her 
adopted  daughter  everywhere,  being  well  re 
ceived,  indeed  welcomed,  wherever  she  went, 
and  she  had  such  implicit  confidence  in  her 
beloved  chaperon,  that  in  the  number  of  their 
social  engagements,  and  the  ever  increasing 
circle  of  new  acquaintances,  at  times  she  be 
came  quite  perplexed  as  to  where  to  place 
people.  And  no  wonder,  for  this  is  a  culti 
vated  talent,  the  result  of  both  training  and 
experience,  and  is  often  then  not  acquired. 

The  music-room  had  good  acoustic  quali 
ties,  and  was  pleasantly  filled  with  genial,  cul 
tivated  people,  who  knew  each  other,  and  all 
the  arrangements  were  charming. 

Never,  since  her  dear    mother's    death,  had 


240  CHIM 

Alma  been  so  radiantly  happy  as  on  that  even 
ing,  and  happiness  makes  even  the  homely  at 
tractive.  The  beautiful  girl  did  not  stop  to 
analyze  her  feelings  and  inquire  of  herself  why 
the  presence  of  Lennox  Montague  brought 
her  so  much  content,  except,  perhaps,  that  it 
seemed  so  clear  to  them  both  that  they  en 
joyed  everything  with  an  appreciation  that 
was  perfectly  delightful. 

When  these  ladies  arrived  with  their  hand 
some  young  escort,  there  was  a  momentary 
threatening  glance  of  Mr.  Hereford's  eye.  suc 
ceeded  instantly  by  a  forced  smile. 

"  It  is  very  displeasing,"  he  thought,  "  to 
have  Miss  Akme  escorted  by  this  presumptuous 
boy,  but  I  can  make  short  work  of  this  obsta 
cle,"  and  he  at  once  made  a  mental  note  to 
make  sure  and  crush  the  prospects,  if  he  had 
any,  of  this  rising  young  attorney. 

But  this  displeasure  of  Mr.  Hereford  was 
quite  unnoted  by  Alma,  who  had  not  a  special 
gift  of  mind-reading,  so  that  it  cast  no  shadow 
over  her  enjoyment.  One  is  assuredly  happier 


CHIM'S   THIRD    ADVENTURE  24! 

to  be  in  blissful  ignorance  of  invisible  dangers, 
for  the  world  presents  to  view  quite  enough 
that  is  disagreeable  in  its  own  time  to  combat. 

Just  now  Alma's  cup  of  pleasure  was  effer 
vescing.  Chim  had  been  returned,  and  that 
anxiety  was  at  an  end,  and  she  loved  music. 

As  the  evening  progressed,  her  musical 
talent  was  again  and  again  applauded. 

Although  some  professional  talent  had  been 
engaged  to  guard  against  failure,  yet  the  ex 
cellent  taste  of  the  host  desired  the  soiree  to 
have  the  effect  of  an  impromptu  evening,  and 
the  adaptation  of  tastes  had  been  so  carefully 
considered,  that  the  result  was  successful. 

The  company  was  an  informal  one  with  so 
cial  and  artistic  elements  happily  combined, 
but  the  one  feature  of  the  occasion  that  Mr. 
Hereford  intended  was,  that  there  should  be 
an  ovation  to  Alma,  without  any  apparent  pre 
concerted  attempt  in  that  direction. 

Under  his  skilful  manipulation,  the  musicale 
was  so  arranged  as  effectively  to  display  her 
gifts.  And,  absorbed  in  the  strains  of  harmony, 


242  CHIM 

she  was  unconscious  of  herself,  which  was  the 
glorious  thing  about  it. 

She  at  first  played  a  duet  with  Mrs.  Akme, 
which  was  a  happy  thought  to  give  her  courage 
until  her  enthusiasm  was  aroused. 

After  a  time  she  gave  an  accompaniment  for 
Lennox  with  much  taste  and  feeling,  which 
was  something  Mrs.  Akme  suggested,  and  not 
at  all  in  Mr.  Hereford's  programme,  for  even 
he  could  not  control  fate. 

Then  came  a  harp  and  piano  concerted 
piece,  which  led  to  a  request  for  a  harp  solo, 
which  was  rendered  with  an  exquisite  grace 
that  elicited  an  outburst  of  encores. 

"Well,  my  child,"  said  Mrs.  Akme  to  her, 
sotto  voce,  "  your  triumph  has  been  complete." 

"  And  I  dare  not  give  expression  to  my  feel 
ings,"  added  Lennox,  in  a  low  voice. 

"And  I,"  said  Alma,  artlessly,  "have  en 
joyed  every  instant." 

"  And  caused  others  still  greater  happiness," 
said  the  host,  regarding  her  with  an  open  ad 
miration  that  went  to  the  heart  of  Lennox  like 


CHIM  S   THIRD   ADVENTURE  243 

a  dagger,  as  he  felt  how  slight  were  his  chances 
when  coping  with  such  a  rival. 

At  this  moment,  Mr.  Hereford  presented  to 
Alma  an  inoffensive  dude  whom  he  had  se 
lected  to  take  her  in  to  supper,  and  offered  his 
own  arm  to  Mrs.  Akme. 

He  knew,  with  a  glance  of  triumph,  that  his 
rival  was  checkmated  for  once. 

"  Ha,  ha,"  chuckled  he  internally,  "  you  are 
but  feeling  the  first  breath  of  the  winter  of 
your  discontent,  vain  youth  !  Before  Hereford 
shall  have  done,  you  will  be  crushed  between 
the  upper  and  nether  millstone  of  his  wrath." 

But  could  the  magnate  have  seen  the  scorn 
ful  look  that  Alma  cast  upon  the  hapless  creat 
ure  whose  arm  she  had  barely  touched,  and 
glanced  back  to  see  her,  with  a  gracious  in 
clination  of  her  head,  call  Lennox  to  her  side, 
he  would  not  have  been  so  triumphant. 

For  as  Lennox  joined  them,  Alma  said  with 
her  sweetest  smile,  "  Let  me  for  once  be  a 
belle,  Mr.  Montague,  and  have  two  attendants." 

And  Lennox  once  again  murmured,  "  I  can- 


244  CHIM 

not  find  words,  Miss  Ayhvyn,  to  tell  you  the 
gratitude  of  my  heart." 

At  this  moment,  Mrs.  Akme  saw  Lennox, 
and  nodded  to  him  to  come  to  her.  As  he  did 
so,  she  said  to  Mr.  Hereford,  "  I  wish  to  com 
mend  specially  to  your  kindest  consideration 
the  son  of  your  and  my  old  friend,  Ysolde 
Lennox." 

A  new  light  flashed  upon  Hereford,  a  new 
reason  for  hating  the  boy,  for  he  was  the  son 
of  a  woman  he  had  once  loved,  or  thought  he 
loved,  and,  what  was  more  to  him,  her  discard 
ed  suitor.  "  Now,  I  have,"  he  thought,  "  every 
reason  to  hate  the  fellow  ;  and  he  has  her 
beauty.  I  could  not  at  first  discover  the  link 
of  old  association.  Yes,  Ysolde,  you  shall, 
through  me,  act  as  a  Nemesis  for  your  own 
child." 

And  thus,  as  the  fury  of  revenge  was  raging 
in  his  soul,  he  stood  cold  as  Parian  marble  and 
erect,  and,  casting  an  indifferent  look  at  the 
young  man  said,  as  if  trying  to  recall  an  abso 
lutely  forgotten  acquaintance,  "  Ysolde  Len- 


CHIM'S   THIRD   ADVENTURE  245 

nox,  madam  ?  pardon  the  defective  memory  of 
one  who  has  been  perhaps  overtaxed,  but  I 
cannot  remember  the  name,"  and  he  turned  to 
offer  Mrs.  Akme  his  arm  to  show  her  a  fine 
painting,  "  brought  from  the  old  homestead," 
he  said. 

But  Mrs.  Akme  knew  the  world,  and  was  not 
deceived.  "  Of  course  he  remembers  Ysolde," 
she  thought;  "  I  will  cut  him  too;"  and  so  she 
replied,  with  an  air  of  fatigue:  "  This  charming 
evening  that  you  have  given  us,  Mr.  Hereford, 
reminds  me  of  an  absolutely  well-dressed  per 
son — there  are  no  salient  points" 

They  exchanged  glances,  and  disliked  each 
other. 

Mrs.  Akme,  who  knew  there  was  no  stab  so 
keen  as  that  veiled  by  a  compliment,  turned  to 
look  for  Alma,  but  she  had  left  the  supper- 
room;  so,  saying  with  frigid  courtesy  to  Mr. 
Hereford,  "  I  cannot  longer  claim  your  valu 
able  time  as  host — I  will  take  the  arm  of  my 
young  friend,"  she  deliberately  left  him,  and 
seeking  Lennox,  who  stood  as  one  momenta- 


246  CHIM 

rily  dazed  by  the  cool  insolence  of  his  host, 
she  said,  playfully,  "  Lennox,  pray  take  care 
of  me." 

After  Mrs.  Akme  had  called  Lennox  away 
from  Alma,  she  was  so  insufferably  bored  by 
her  attendant  that  she  begged  him  to  conduct 
her  to  the  library,  and  then  had  the  tact  to 
suggest  that  he  would  join  two  of  his  friends 
of  whom  he  had  caught  a  glimpse  in  the  sup 
per-room. 

This  was  in  every  way  an  agreeable  sugges 
tion  to  the  vapid  boy,  who  sauntered  his  mean 
dering  way  back  to  the  supper-table,  where  he 
found  two  others  like  unto  himself;  and  there 
the  three  stood  in  a  line,  to  be  waited  on,  for 
an  indefinite  length  of  time,  each  one  adorned 
with  a  similar  cascade  of  roses  for  a  flourishing 
boutonniere,  each  one  raising  his  wine-glass 
feebly  to  his  lips  from  a  seemingly  dislocated 
shoulder-blade,  each  one  equally  limp  in  the 
legs,  each  one  holding  precisely  the  same  Del- 
sartian  pose,  and  there  they  stood  and  stand 
in  other  drawing-rooms,  and  at  other  supper- 


.  CHIMS   THIRD   ADVENTURE  247 

tables  to  this  day — three  dudes  with  but  one 
single  aim;  three  heads  with  but  one  single 
thought. 

The  reaction  of  the  tension  of  continuous 
musical  effort  caused  Alma  to  feel  somewhat 
fatigued,  and  the  momentary  solitude  was  very 
grateful  to  her  as  she  stood  beside  a  wide- 
throated  open  fireplace. 

•  There  was  a  something  in  the  crackling 
blaze  of  the  burning  logs,  in  the  quaint  aspect 
of  the  huge  burnished  andirons  upon  which  the 
wood  rested,  that  reminded  her  of  the  merry 
days  of  her  petted  babyhood  and  early  child 
hood  in  the  dear  ,old  Manor  House  of  her 
grandfather. 

Over  just  such  a  fireplace  hung  a  portrait  of 
her  grandmother,  and  covering  the  mantel  was 
a  rich  piece  of  embroidery,  a  long  scarf  of  ori 
ental  pattern,  upon  which  rested  those  won 
derful  bronzes,  the  three  musical  devils,  be 
fore  which  she  used  to  stand  aghast,  shivering, 
and  whose  images  were  so  often  dwelt  upon  in 
memory. 


248  CHIM 

There  are  moments  when  the  closed  cells  of 
reminiscence  seem  suddenly  to  expand,  and 
we  view,  as  in  a  well-defined  vista,  the  long 
succession  of  events  that  had  apparently  faded 
from  our  mortal  ken. 

So  subtle  are  the  springs  that  open  to  our 
sight  the  hitherto  closed  pictures  of  the  past, 
that  often  what  would  seem  to  be  the  merest 
nothing  is  the  needed  link  of  the  broken  chain. 

Ah,  why  should  her  gentle  mother  have 
had  to  bear  the  keen  anguish  of  the  loss  of 
that  dear  old  home  ?  How  cruel  that  merci 
less,  grasping  cousin  had  been  to  sell  it,  as  he 
said,  for  delinquent  taxes,  and  then,  oh,  shame  ! 
buy  it  for  himself !  and  it  was,  after  all,  such  a 
mere  nothing  to  him  out  of  his  great  abun 
dance. 

Her  mother  had  died  broken-hearted,  with 
out  understanding  where  to  place  the  wrong, 
but  now  she  knew  they  had  been  needlessly 
sacrificed.  Had  not  the  good  old  friend  in 
Washington,  who  was  so  generous  to  her,  told 
her  so  ? 


CHIM'S   THIRD   ADVENTURE  249 

And  out  of  all  these  bitter,  bitter  recollec 
tions  came  once  again  a  strong  desire  to  re 
possess  that  dearest  of  homes.  Would  this 
happiness  ever  be  hers  ? 

With  this  yearning  wish  uppermost  in  her 
agitated  heart  she  unconsciously  raised  her 
eyes  as  if  to  ask  kind  heaven  to  right  this 
wrong,  and  met,  looking  into  hers,  as  in  the 
.baby  days,  the  responsive  eyes  of  the  same 
picture.  She  started,  as  if  in  fear  of  some  op 
tical  illusion,  only  to  see  reproduced  the  entire 
vision  so  indelibly  imprinted  on  memory's 
tablets. 

There  it  all  was — the  rare  old  lambrequin, 
the  three  weird  bronze  figures  writhing  in 
their  endless  torture — yes,  the  mild,  tender 
countenance  of  the  beautiful  grandmother. 

"  Have  I  quite  lost  my  reason  ?"  she  asked 
herself,  pressing  her  throbbing  temples  with 
both  hands.  "  No,  no,  this  is  no  mental  hal 
lucination,  for  clearer  and  clearer  does  the  vis 
ion  recall  the  grouping  of  that  scene." 

And  now    she    leaned    heavily   for  support 


250  CHIM 

against  the  mantel,  as  pained  and  busy  thought 
retraced  a  thousand,  thousand  things  that  clus 
tered  round  the  awakened  memory. 

"  My  harp  stands  mute,"  thought  Alma,  "  un 
til  the  living  touch  sweeps  o'er  its  chords,  and 
so  my  heart-strings  quiver  under  the  magic 
wand  of  this  once  familiar  scene." 

It  did  not  suit  Buncombe  Hereford's  ulterior 
aims  to  take  offense  at  Mrs.  Akme's  caprice, 
and  so  he  used  his  freedom  to  look  for  her 
lovely  ward,  and,  pausing  several  times  to  ex 
change  a  few  words  with  a  guest,  he  finally  caught 
a  glimpse  of  her  in  the  still  unoccupied  library. 

He  was  screened  by  the  heavy  folds  of  the 
silken  portiere,  as  he  stood  in  the  doorway. 
"What  an  exquisite  picture  of  innocence!" 
thought  he,  as  he  watched  her  for  a  moment, 
"  or,  rather,  the  pose  of  a  model  for  some  work 
of  classic  art,"  he  added,  with  a  half  sneer. 
"  Yet,  be  it  unaffected  artlessness,  or  posing 
for  effect,  which  is  more  likely,  she  is  beautiful." 

Her  white  muslin  dress  was  closed  at  the 
throat,  and  edged  with  soft  Valenciennes  lace, 


CHIM'S   THIRD   ADVENTURE  251 

and  her  shapely  arms  were  uncovered  except 
by  a  fall  of  lace,  which  was  looped  up  by  two 
strands  of  pearls,  heirlooms  that  her  mother 
never  would  part  with. 

But  the  attention  and  the  curiosity  of  this 
keen  analyst  of  character  were  specially  ar 
rested  by  her  dreamy,  rapt,  and  sad  expression. 

"  This  incomparably  lovely  woman,"  thought 
he,  "  has  a  history,  for  no  mere  spoiled  girl  of 
fashion  ever  had  such  an  abstracted  air." 

So  thinking,  he  stepped  forward  and  accosted 
her  with  that  exceeding  courtliness  he  knew 
so  well  how  to  assume. 

"May  I  dare,"  he  inquired,  "to  disturb  a 
reverie  ?" 

She  started,  then  recollecting  herself,  replied: 
"It  is  true;  memory  has  been  busy.  lean- 
not  explain  it,  but  this  portrait,  these  bronzes, 
the  drapery,  even  the  fireplace,  reproduce  a 
familiar  and  a  well-loved  scene  of  my  early 
life;  it  is,"  she  added,  somewhat  agitated,  "a 
mysterious  illusion  I  cannot  dispel." 

"  A  refrain  of  what,  fair  poet?"  asked  he. 


CHIM 

"A  reminder,"  she  said,  "  of  my  childhood's 
home — of  my  dear  grandfather's  house." 

"  That  is  very  strange,"  said  he,  somewhat 
moved,  "  for  that  which  interests  you  as  rem 
iniscent  is  an  exact  reproduction,  transferred 
from  an  old  Virginia  home,  to  give  me  pleasure 
here." 

"  Tell  me  about  the  homestead,"  she  said. 

"  With  pleasure,"  he  replied  with  a  sudden 
pang  of  self-reproach;  "it  was  in  its  day  a 
famous  old  place  and  the  seat  of  generous  hos 
pitality.  The  portrait  was  of  my  aunt,  its  mis 
tress.  Does  it  remind  you  of  a  family  picture, 
Miss  Akme?" 

During  this  recital  Alma  had  become  more 
and  more  agitated,  but  she  simply  said  : 

"I  am  not  Miss  Akme;  my  name  is  Alma 
Aylwyn." 

And  prompt  as  a  thought  of  Lucifer,  the 
father  of  lies,  came  the  response  of  this  de 
stroyer  of  homes,  as  he  exclaimed  with  a  rap 
turous  manner: 

"  And  I,  my  darling  ward,  am   your  loving 


CHIM'S   THIRD   ADVENTURE  253 

cousin,  Buncombe  Hereford.  I  have  sought 
for  you  in  vain,  and  have  mourned  you  as  one 
lost." 

"And  what  of  that  letter?"  asked  Alma, 
with  a  withering  air  of  disdain. 

"  What  letter  ? "  he  asked,  assuming  the  tran 
quillity  of  innocence.  "  I  was  about  to  seek  you 
to  ask  you,  as  I  do  now,  to  take  your  proper 
place  as  my  near  relative,  and  preside  over  my 
establishment  here,  when  I  learned  you  had 
gone,  without  leaving  a  trace." 

"And  that  cruel  letter  you  wrote  me?"  re 
iterated  Alma. 

Mr.  Hereford  calmly  replied  :  "I  know  not, 
my  dear  child,  to  what  you  allude.  No  man 
in  my  commanding  position  is  without  enemies. 
If  you  ever  received  anything  derogatory  to 
me  in  any  way,  purporting  to  come  from  me,  I 
can  only  say  it  was  forgery.  Your  proper  place 
is  under  my  continuous  protection,  and  not  as 
the  recipient  of  charity  at  the  hands  of  a 
stranger,  as  must  be  Mrs.  Akme." 

At  this   moment    Mrs.   Akme  and  Lennox 


254  CHIM 

approached,  and  Alma  at  once  besought  her 
imploringly:  "Do  take  me  home  with  you 
quickly,  for  I  am  very,  very  ill." 

"  I  will  myself  conduct  you  to  the  carriage," 
said  her  cousin,  drawing  her  cold  hand  within 
his  arm,  and  as  he  lifted  her  in  he  whispered  : 
"  My  dearest  little  cousin;  of  course  you  will 
soon  return  to  preside  over  my  lonely  home." 

And  he  was  careful  that  Lennox  should  hear 
the  first  two  words,  "my  dearest,"  which  had 
also  not  escaped  the  quick  ear  of  Mrs.  Akme. 

Lennox  Montague,  cut  to  the  heart  by  this 
deadly  thrust,  and  with  raging  tumult  of  the 
brain,  threw  himself  into  the  carriage,  escort 
ing  the  ladies  home  in  silence,  a  silence  un 
broken  either  by  Mrs.  Akme  or  Alma;  for  the 
one  was  absorbed  by  too  many  conflicting  emo 
tions  for  words,  and  the  poor  young  girl  felt 
really  ill. 

By  midnight  the  last  guest  invited  to  this 
charming  mnsicalc  had  departed,  and  the  ac 
complished  host,  relieved  to  be  set  free  from 


CHTM'S  THIRD  ADVENTURE          255 

his  self-imposed  duties,  was  about  retiring  to 
his  room,  when  his  secretary,  whom  he  made 
a  sort  of  factotum  for  all  matters  that  required 
special  skill  in  the  handling,  came  to  him  and 
said: 

"  There  is  a  man,  sir,  in  the  servants'  hall, 
who  awaits  your  pleasure  for  the  past  hour,  and 
he  h~as  a  bundle  wrapped  in  his  arms  that  I 
fancy  is  a  sleeping  dog." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  magnate,  "  telephone 
at  once  for  the  special  detective  who  has  this 
matter  in  charge;  detain  the  man  until  he  ar 
rives,  and  then  let  me  know." 

Some  ten  minutes  later  the  secretary  an 
nounced  the  presence  of  the  officer  sent  for, 
whereupon  Mr.  Hereford  said,  "  Be  quick  about 
it,  and  bring  the  fellow  in." 

In  a  moment  a  man  was  ushered  in,  with 
Chim  fast  asleep,  and  the  terrier  was  very  com 
fortably  wrapped  in  the  eider-down  satin  quilt; 
although  from  the  rather  hard  breathing  and 
deep  sleep  it  was  evident  he  had  been  drugged. 

"What  is  it  you  wish,  fellow?"  asked  the 


256  CHIM 

master  of  the  house,  with  a  very  severe  aspect, 
which  at  once  cowed  the  trembling  man. 

"  I  bring  you,  sir,"  said  he,  "  such  a  dog  as 
you  advertised  for;  a  twin-brother  of  the  one 
Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo  has,  and  he  answers 
to  the  same  name,  Chim." 

"And  your  price?"  asked  the  purchaser; 
"  and  be  quick  about  it;  I  have  no  time  to  waste 
over  a  dog." 

"Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo  gave  five  hundred 
dollars  for  her  dog,"  answered  the  man  rather 
hurriedly,  "  and  although  this  is  a  superior  ani 
mal  in  every  way,  you  may  have  him  at  the 
same  price,  sir." 

Mr.  Hereford  pressed  the  button  on  his  table, 
and  the  secretary  entered. 

"  Give  this  man,"  said  he,  "  five  hundred  dol 
lars,  which  is  the  sum  he  asks  for  this  dog." 

The  money  was  counted  out,  handed  over, 
and  a  receipt  taken. 

"Now,"  said  Mr.  Hereford,  "you  have  sold 
me  this  dog  for  five  hundred  dollars,"  and,  as 
he  said  so,  he  again  pressed  the  button,  at 


CHIM'S   THIRD   ADVENTURE  2$7 

which  a  door  opened,  and  the  police  detective 
stood  behind  the  man,  as  he  answered,  "  I  have 
sold  him." 

At  the  very  instant  the  culprit  felt  a  heavy 
hand  on  his  shoulder,  and  heard  the  terrible 
words,  "  You  are  arrested  for  stealing  this  dog 
from  the  house  of  Mrs.  Akme  this  evening." 

The  detective  then  remarked  to  Mr.  Here 
ford  that  this  dog  had  been  returned  to  Mrs. 
Akme  the  day  before  by  Mr.  De  Noo  in  person, 
but  had  now  been,  this  evening,  during  the 
absence  of  the  ladies,  stolen  a  second  time  by 
the  butler  Harman,  in  the  expectation  of  mak 
ing  a  second  sale. 

This  was  a  curious  bit  of  news  for  Mr.  Here 
ford,  as  to  the  practical  working  of  his  own 
advertisement,  but  he  made  no  comment  other 

• 

than  to  say  to  the  officer,  "  You  have  my  sin 
cere  thanks  for  this  zealous  performance  of 
your  duty,  and  you  deserve  to  be  placed  in 
charge  of  the  detective  service.  Further  than 
this,  and  regarding  the  refunding  of  the  five  hun 
dred  dollars,  my  secretary  will  confer  with  you." 


258  CHIM 

So  saying,  he  left  the  room,  where  stood  the 
trembling  rascal,  who  had  been  lured  into  his 
net,  the  secretary  who  was  to  attend  to  the  mat 
ter  as  a  business  transaction, and  the  officer,  who 
was  now  ready  to  march  off  with  his  prisoner. 

In  another  instant  a  servant  entered  to  say 
to  the  detective  that  Mr.  Hereford  would  see 
that  the  dog  was  at  once  returned  to  Mrs. 
Akme,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  a  cab  drove  off 
with  the  still  slumbering  creature  in  the  arms 
of  his  butler,  with  a  note  from  Mr.  Hereford. 

Mrs*.  Akme  had  been  so  perplexed  and  be 
wildered  by  the  endearing  wrords  that  she  had 
unwittingly  heard  Mr.  Hereford  address  to  Al 
ma,  that,  had  not  her  painful  doubts  been  met 
by  entire  candor,  some  serious  distrust  must 
have  ensued,  such  as  that  gentleman  hoped 
might  be  the  case. 

There  is  just  one  thing  that  the  man  who 
succeeds  by  deceiving  others  never  seems  to 
take  properly  into  his  plots,  and  that  is  the 
atmosphere  of  lucid  truth  that  protects  the 
single-hearted. 


CHIM'S   THIRD   ADVENTURE  259 

Scarcely  had  Lennox  Montague  made  his 
formal  bow  to  her  and  departed,  than  Alma, 
with  passionate  weeping,  repeated  to  Mrs. 
Akme,  word  for  word,  the  entire  conversation 
with  Mr.  Hereford  that  evening.  She  told  her 
all,  every  word,  not  even  keeping  back  the 
stinging  reproach,  that  cut  so  deeply,  of  Mrs. 
Akme's  supporting  her  as  an  object  of  charity. 
•  Had  she  been  versed  for  a  lifetime  in  the 
subtle  arts  of  diplomacy  she  could  not  have 
done  a  wiser  thing;  for  as  the  distressed  girl 
made  known  her  sorrow  as  rapidly  as  heart 
breaking  sobs  permitted  the  utterance,  the 
iniquity  of  the  intention  to  take  advantage  of 
any  technicality  of  the  law  to  entrap  to  her 
destruction  this  lovely  being  became  evident 
to  Mrs.  Akme,  whose  wide  experience  of  the 
world  gave  her  a  clear  insight  of  -character. 

She  was  also  somewhat  prepared  by  her  own 
observation  that  evening  to  find  this  man  of 
momentous  enterprises  false,  for  she  had  been 
shocked  by  his  cool  declaration  of  having  forgot 
ten  Ysolde  Lennox,  and  his  uncivil  demeanor  to 


260  CHIM 

her  son,  as  she  had  not  forgotten  the  school-girl 
confidences  of  Ysolde  to  her  in  his  regard.  And 
rejected  addresses  are  never  quite  overlooked. 
When  Alma  had,  upon  her  first  coming  to  her, 
related  the  outlines  of  her  previous  history, 
the  letter  of  the  cousin  who  had  cast  her  off  so 
cruelly  had  been  spoken  of,  but  the  name  of 
the  writer  had  not  been  given,  nor  had  Mrs. 
Akme  cared  to  hear  it.  But  in  the  light  of 
present  revelations  it  assumed  real  importance. 

While  these  two  harassed  women  were  still 
in  deep  consultation  over  the  difficulties  to  be 
overcome,  a  violent  pull  at  the  door-bell,  sev 
eral  times  repeated,  attracted  their  attention. 

"  It  is  after  one  o'clock,"  said  Mrs.  Akme, 
"and  poor  Harman  naturally  must  have  some 
time  for  sleep.  We  cannot  expect  our  people 
to  serve  us  night  and  day,  for  they  really  need 
rest  far  more  than  we  do.  He  is  such  a  faith 
ful  man,  so  attentive  and  obliging,  I  will  not 
disturb  him." 

At  this,  the  bell  rang  again,  with  a  pull  that 
threatened  breakage,  and  Alma  said,  "Let  me 


CHIM'S   THIRD   ADVENTURE  261 

answer  the  bell,"  at  the  same  instant  hastening 
to  open  the  door.  Mrs.  Akme,  thinking  it  some 
what  of  a  risk  at  that  time  of  night  to  open  a 
front  door,  followed  Alma  so  closely  that  she 
heard  her  immediate  exclamation  of  surprise. 

As  the  door  was  closed  there  stood  Alma 
holding  Chim  in  her  arms,  carefully  wrapped 
in  his  eider-down  quilt,  and  fast  asleep. 

Exclamation  followed  exclamation,  and  the 
surprise  was  so  great  that  no  heed  had  been 
given  to  the  note  that  accompanied  his  return, 
although,  of  course,  it  must  give  the  sought-for 
explanation. 

How  often  do  people  hold  in  their  hands  a 
sealed  letter  or  package  to  their  address,  ex 
amining  the  chirography  and  the  superscrip 
tion,  and  even  wondering  who  it  is  from,  when, 
perhaps,  after  a  few  moments  of  such  dazed 
unconsciousness,  they  open  and  read,  and  are 
provoked  at  their  own  stupidity  or  absent- 
mindedness.  There  would  seem  to  be  so  many 
occasions  in  our  lives  when  we  act  as  two  dis 
tinct  entities. 


262  CHIM 

"  Oh,  Alma  !  "  said  Mrs.  Akme,  "  the  note  !  " 

"True,"  she    answered,   "how   dull  lam!" 

and  she  opened  and  read  aloud  the  following: 

My  dearest  kinswoman:  Mrs.  Akme's  butler,  Harman, 
has  been  arrested  for  stealing  your  dog  while  you  and 
she  were  both  away  this  evening.  I  am  happy  to  send 
Chim  back  to  you  unharmed.  He  has  evidently  been 
drugged  to  keep  him  quiet,  but  doubtless  by  morning 
will  be  all  right.  The  revelations  of  this  evening,  my 
dearest  cousin,  have  brought  a  hope  of  happiness  to 
my  desolated  home.  As  your  legal  guardian  and  only 
surviving  relative,  it  will  be  my  pleasing  duty  to  trans 
fer  you,  in  the  course  of  the  next  few  days,  from  the 
kind  and  considerate  hospitality  of  your  acquaintance, 
Mrs.  Akme,  and  place  you  before  the  world  where  you 
ought  to  be,  not  only  as  the  lovely  mistress  presiding 
over  my  establishment,  but  also  as  my  adopted  daugh 
ter  and  ward. 

Ever  your  devoted  kinsman, 

BUNCOMBE  HEREFORD. 

Upon  reading  this,  to  them,  terrible  letter, 
Chim's  rescue,  her  man's  unfaithfulness,  and  all 
were  forgotten,  as,  with  a  great  fear  of  the  near 
impending  danger,  these  women,  who  tenderly 
loved  each  other,  wept  in  each  other's  arms. 
But  Mrs.  Akme  was,  if  possible,  more  terrified 


CHIM'S   THIRD   ADVENTURE  263 

than  was  Alma,  because  she  better  understood 
the  depths  of  villainy,  and  saw  more  clearly 
into  the  designing  arts  of  this  wicked  man. 

"  How  old  are  you,  my  darling  ?"  she  asked 
Alma,  who  replied,  "  I  am  just  twenty." 

And  Mrs.  Akme  shuddered  as  she  thought 
that  for  one  year  the  blessed  child  would  be 
legally  under  her  guardian's  care.  And  she, 
who  so  lately  had  run  the  gamut  of  skepticism, 
of  agnosticism,  of  theosophy,  and  kindred  fal 
lacies,  lifted  her  woman's  heart  to  God,  pray 
ing  Him  to  protect  in  His  own  perfect  way  this 
lamb  of  His  flock.  Little  did  she  imagine  how 
near  is  the  answer  whenever  prayer  ascends, 
piercing  the  earth-clouds  that  hide  alike  from 
view  His  avenging  and  His  shielding  arm.  But 
Alma's  ignorance  of  the  real  gravity  of  the  perils 
that  surrounded  her  spared  her  some  of  this 
misery,  and  the  dawn  found  her  tranquilly 
sleeping,  while  Mrs.  Akme  still  walked  the 
floor,  viewing  and  reviewing  in  her  mind  all 
the  aspects  of  the  dangerous  complications 
they  might  so  soon  have  to  meet. 


264  CHIM 

As  the  result  of  the  long  vigil,  she  deter 
mined  to  hold  on  to  Alma  as  if  she  were  her 
own  beloved  daughter,  and  to  employ,  if  need 
be,  the  best  legal  talent,  at  no  matter  what 
cost,  in  the  contest;  and  if  it  was  thought  that 
her  guardian  must  have  control  of  his  ward 
until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  guardian 
ship,  she  would,  if  it  came  to  the  worst,  clan 
destinely  leave  the  country  during  that  time 
with  her  precious  treasure.  And  one  of  her 
desperate  resolves  was — for  one  gets  desperate 
in  the  long,  wakeful  watches  of  a  night — if  it 
would  insure  additional  protection  in  case  they 
had  to  seek  concealment,  they  would  even 
"  farm  out  "Chim,  on  the  plan  of  the  well-taken- 
care-of  French  babies. 

And  having  finally  marked  out  a  course  of 
action  she,  too,  fell  asleep  in  the  broad  light  of 
morning,  only  to  start  and  moan  in  troubled 
dreams,  full  of  hair-breadth  escapes  and  a 
never-ending  kidnapping  of  both  Alma  and 
Chim. 


CHAPTER    XI 

CHIM    ACCEPTS   A   NEW   MASTER 

THE  morning  succeeding  the  mnsicale  Mrs. 
Akme  sent  a  note  to  Lennox  Montague,  re 
questing  him  to  call  and  see  her  on  a  matter 
of  business  as  soon  as  possible. 

Now,  after  Lennox  had  escorted  the  ladies 
home  that  evening  when  he  had  received  the 
shock  of  hearing  those  fateful  words  addressed 
to  Alma,  he,  too,  had  passed  a  sleepless  night. 

The  soul  never  seems  to  know  herself  until 
she  is  questioned.  She  stands,  as  it  were,  a 
mute  sentinel  at  the  ever-open  portal  of  the 
senses,  but  speaks  not  with  the  clear,  still  voice 
of  the  spirit,  amid  the  torrential  sweep  and  the 
bubbling  turmoil  that  go  to  make  up  the  busy 
excitement  of  the  broad  and  rapid  flow  of  life's 

onward  progress.     But  presently  the  hitherto 
265 


266  CHIM 

unheeded  force  of  passionate  impulse,  the  ac 
cumulating  exterior  pressure,  drifts  us  upon 
some  hidden  rock,  or  unheeded  quicksands, 
and  then  we  cry  out  to  the  pilot  at  the  helm. 

So  Lennox  had  not  realized,  or,  realizing,  had 
failed  to  measure,  how  deeply  his  happiness 
was  involved  by  his  love  for  Alma,  until  the 
sharp  blow,  thus  rudely  given,  had  forced  upon 
him  its  terrible  realization.  But  now,  as  he  re 
viewed  again  and  again  all  that  had  transpired 
between  them,  although  he  had  claimed  no 
avowal  of  interest  from  her,  yet  had  there  not 
been  that  satisfying  interchange  of  thought, 
those  sympathetic  glances  giving  unspoken 
words  that  no  language  could  so  well  express, 
that  had  made  him  feel,  without  the  asking,  that 
she  was  indeed  the  alter  ego  of  the  best  that  was 
in  him,  the  eidolon  of  his  dreams,  the  chiefest, 
the  one  supreme  blessing,  the  idealization  of 
happiness  for  him  ? 

Could  she  thus  have  met  him,  and  at  the 
same  time  held  in  her  heart  a  superior  affection 
for  another,  and  that  other  a  man  too  old  to 


CHIM   ACCEPTS   A    NEW    MASTER          267 

share  the  fresh  emotions  of  a  young  girl's  ten 
der  fancy  ? 

Then,  had  he  not  understood  that  virtually 
they  were  strangers  to  each  other  ? 

Was  it  possible  that  this  pure  and  high- 
minded  girl  could  have  been  so  readily  influ 
enced  or  at  all  controlled  by  the  great  wealth 
and  power  of  this  man  arising  from  such  an  as- 
eendancy  ? 

But  this  suspicion  was  at  once  set  aside  as 
an  unworthy  thought  regarding  such  a  woman. 

And  yet  how  could  he  ever  forget  having 
heard  those  endearing  words  applied  to  her  by 
one  whose  age  and  position  would  alike  pre 
vent  any  mistake  on  his  part  ? 

There  must  have  been  some  strong  reason  to 
have  prompted  and  permitted  such  sudden  ad 
vances. 

It  was  one  of  those  inexplicable  occurrences 
that  became  more  and  more  mysterious  as  one 
tried  to  fathom  it,  or  even  penetrate  into  its 
motives. 

Oppressed    by   this    ever-increasing    gloom 


268  CHIM 

and  uncertainty,  he  was  at  a  loss  what  course 
to  take,  and  he  was  depressed  by  conflicting 
agitations  when  he  received  Mrs.  Akme's  note. 
It  brought  some  ray  of  hope,  as  he  asked  him 
self  if  it  were  not  connected  with  the  painful  sub 
ject  of  his  meditations.  "Ah,"  he  said, "perhaps 
kind  Heaven  vouchsafes  at  least  a  clue  to  guide 
me  in  this  outer  darkness  in  which  I  grope  be 
wildered." 

So  he  hastened  to  seek  Mrs.  Akme. 

The  revelations  that  she  had  to  make,  as  she 
told  him  all  that  had  taken  place,  distressing 
as  it  was  to  hear  that  Alma  was  subjected  to 
such  shameful  persecution,  yet,  compared  to 
his  fears,  brought  a  relief  so  great  that  he  was 
positively  happy. 

His  admiration  of  the  brave  girl  was  un 
bounded  as  he  heard  the  whole  recital,  for  he 
never  before  had  fully  known  the  sharp  trials  to 
which  she  had  been  subjected  during  all  these 
past  years  of  her  clouded  youth. 

When  Mrs.  Akme  had  concluded  her  story, she 
added  :  "Lennox,  perhaps  you  are  too  young  to 


CHIM   ACCEPTS    A   NEW    MASTER          269 

give  safe  advice  in  a  matter  of  such  moment, 
but  you  have  a  good  legal  mind,  some  knowl 
edge  of  law,  a  warm  heart,  and  you  are  staunch 
and  true,  so  I  wish  to  know  exactly  what  you 
think." 

He  did  not  reply  for  a  few  minutes,  and  it 
was  evident  that  he  was  much  agitated. 

Then  he  said  :  "  The  peril  is  doubtless  great, 
.but  it  does  not  seem  to  me  to  be  as  grave  as 
you  apprehend,  my  dear  Mrs.  Akme.  Miss 
Aylwyn  has  reached  an  age  when,  certainly, 
any  court  would  permit  her  to  decide  as  to  her 
domicile.  I  fancy  that  the  extraordinary  course 
Mr.  Hereford  proposes  to  take  must  be  rather 
in  the  expectation  of  imposing  upon  her  pre 
sumed  want  of  knowledge  of  her  legal  rights, 
rather  than  from  any  fixed  intention  of  really 
forcing  her  will." 

"Then  you  do  not  think  that  Alma  could 
be  constrained  to  leave  me  against  her  con 
sent?" 

"  At  her  age  I  do  not,"  said  Lennox.  "The 
real  danger,  rather,  consists  in  the  powerful, 


270  CHIM 

almost  irresistible,  weight  that  such  a  man  as 
Hereford  can  bring  to  bear  to  crush  those  who 
incur  his  displeasure.  Where  a  man  controls 
such  vast  interests,  there  are  existing  ramifica 
tions  affecting  so  many  others  that  it  is  diffi 
cult  to  say  what  harm  may  ensue." 

"  I  see,"  said  Mrs.  Akme;  "  and  it  is  not  easy 
to  know  how  to  avert  an  unforeseen  peril." 

"  There  is  always  this  comfort,"  said  Lennox, 
"that  law  does  protect  the  helpless,  and  if, 
through  its  various  intricacies,  it  may  at  times 
fail  in  so  doing,  it  is  not  on  account  of  its  inef 
ficiency,  but  rather  owing  to  the  ignorance  of 
those  who  appeal  to  its  protection.  I  hold  it 
as  almost  absolutely  certain  that  under  the 
handling  of  a  well-trained  and  learned  lawyer 
one  cannot  be  injured  without  obtaining  ample 
redress." 

"  Dear  Lennox,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Akme, 
"you  inspire  me  with  confidence.  You  have, 
I  see,  an  old  head  on  young  shoulders." 

"  I  trust  not,"  said  he,  smiling,  "  for  I  would 
rather  be  altogether  young,  and,  may  I  add, 


CI1IM   ACCEPTS   A   NEW   MASTER          2/1 

so  pleasing  as  to  be  acceptable  to  Miss  Ayl- 
wyn." 

"  What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Mrs.  Akme, 
with  a  sudden  start. 

"I  mean,  my  dear  friend,"  he  answered 
gravely,  "  that  I  love  this  charming  woman 
with  my  whole  heart  and  soul  and  far  more 
than  my  own  life." 

•  "You  would  not,"  said  Mrs.  Akme  turning 
pale,  "  seek  to  take  her  from  me  ?  It  is  an  un 
expected  possibility  that  you  suggest." 

"  Your  fears  are  premature  in  my  regard," 
answered  he  with  a  sad  smile,  "  for  as  yet  I 
have  not  ventured  to  tell  her  of  my  love,  nor 
have  I  any  assurance  that  Miss  Aylwyn  cares 
for  me." 

Mrs.  Akme  instantly  recalled  various  ex 
pressions  of  Alma,  or,  rather,  little  incidents, 
before  unnoted,  that  now  seemed  to  take  shape. 
"  I  fancy,"  she  said,  "that  you  might  engage 
her  interest." 

"  Pardon  any  seeming  indiscretion  on  my 
part,"  said  he,  "  but  I  have  the  courage  to  men- 


2/2  CIIIM 

tion  this  subject  of  deepest  import  to  me  be 
cause,  if  Miss  Aylwyn  would  but  accept  my 
protection,  the  law  would  consider  the  claim 
of  a  husband  as  paramount  to  that  of  any 
guardian." 

"Ah!  I  see,"  said  Mrs.  Akme.  "Such  a 
happy  contingency  would  put  an  end  to  any 
danger  from  this  dreaded  interference.  Oh, 
Lennox,  only  promise  to  make  your  home 
with  me,  and  you  may  go  with  my  blessing 
and  make  known  your  love  to  this  dear 
girl." 

At  this  moment  a  strain  of  melody  from 
Alma's  harp  reached  them. 

Lennox  arose.  "With  your  permission,  my 
dear  madam,"  he  said,  "  I  will  join  her;  but 
how  can  I  hope  to  secure  so  much  happiness  ? 
It  is  presumption." 

A  moment  later  Lennox  paused  at  the  open 
door  of  the  music-room  involuntarily,  in  ad 
miration. 

Alma  stood  at  her  harp,  and  heaped  in  con 
fusion  at  her  feet  were  the  various  pieces  of 


CHIM   ACCEPTS   A   NEW   MASTER          2/3 

music  she  had  tried  and  in  her  concentered 
mood  thrown  aside  for  still  others  that  replaced 
them,  until,  having,  as  it  were,  wearied  with 
these  harmonies,  her  spirit  had  awakened  to 
its  own  musical  concepts. 

Thus  with  one  arm  resting  lovingly  on  the 
instrument,  the  other  hand  with  caressful 
touches  framed  snatches  of  thought  into  plaint 
ive,  soul-stirring,  spiritualized  utterance. 

Lennox,  entranced,  caught  the  motif,  and 
followed  with  musical  enthusiasm  the  sweet  suc 
cession  of  improvised  sound,  with  its  changing 
intermixture  of  warmth,  color,  light,  shadow, 
interwoven  with  depth,  fervor,  and  nuances  of 
delicious  delicacy,  the  outpouring  of  creative 
inspiration;  and  in  his  rapture  he  forgot  that 
Alma  was  unaware  of  his  presence,  but,  catch 
ing  the  refrain,  sang  in  unison  with  her  theme. 

What  glimpses  of  heaven  on  earth  does  not 
music  bring,  wafting  to  our  ardent  longings 
echoes  of  the  eternal  hymns ! 

Alma  turned  with  glad  surprise  as  Lennox 
joined  her,  and  she  gave  the  accompaniment 


2/4  CHIM 

of  an  air,  which  Lennox  sang  with  much  taste 
and  feeling. 

Then  she  stopped  and,  extending  her  hand, 
said  frankly:  "I  am  ever  so  happy  to  see  you, 
Mr.  Montague ;  I  was  trying  to  forget  my 
sorrow;"  and,  as  if  she  could  not  control  the 
sudden  sense  of  desolation,  she  clasped  her 
hands  in  an  attitude  of  deep  dejection. 

"Alma,"  said  Lennox — "permit  me  to  say 
Alma — Mrs.  Akme  has  just  told  me  all.  Do 
not,  I  beg  you,  be  dismayed  at  the  intrigues 
of  this  unscrupulous  schemer.  May  I  dare  to 
tell  you,  at  such  a  time,  that  your  love  means 
life  for  me  ?  Give  me,  dear  Alma,"  he  contin 
ued  with  impassioned  earnestness  and  taking 
her  hand,  "the  right  to  protect  you  as  your 
husband." 

Alma  was  silent. 

"Ah,  do  not,  do  not,"  he  begged,  "refuse  to 
become  my  wife." 

And  Alma  said  :  "  Lennox,  I  love  you  ;  it 
were  needless  to  deny  it,  but  I  cannot  be  your 
wife." 


CHIM    ACCEPTS   A   NEW    MASTER          275 

"  My  darling,"  he  exclaimed,  "  may  Heaven 
forever  bless  you  for  the  assurance  of  your  love  ! 
But  why,  then,  may  I  not  hope  that  you 
will  be  mine  ?" 

"  Because  I  love  you  too  truly,"  she  said. 

"I  cannot  understand,  dear  Alma,"  he  re 
plied. 

"  Listen,  Lennox,"  she  answered.  "  I  am  but 
a  poor  orphan  girl.  My  cousin  tells  me  I  am 
an  object  of  charity.  You  are  but  starting  out 
in  your  business  career,  having  yet  your  fortune 
to  make,  and  I  cannot  at  the  very  outset  of 
your  honorable  efforts  allow  you  to  take  upon 
yourself  the  added  weight  of  my  support." 

"  Fear  not  for  our  united  future,  my  beloved 
Alma,"  he  said,  "  for  happiness,  love  and  con 
tent  compel  success.  You  will  be  my  chiefest 
aid,  and  through  you  my  star  will  be  in  the 
ascendant.  But  if,  on  the  contrary,  you  refuse 
me  this  needed  succor,  from  whatever  motive, 
you  will  then,  indeed,  mar  my  whole  career." 

"  Dear  Lennox,"  she  said,  "  let  us  first  have 
the  patience  of  seemly  waiting  for  a  time.  We 


2/6  CHIM 

have  in  reality  scarcely  known  each  other, 
although,  it  must  be  confessed,  we  have  always 
been  in  sympathy.  Since  my  cousin  has  re 
minded  me,  I  must  not  forget  that  he  educated 
me  for  a  teacher;  and,  thinking  it  over,  I  shall 
better  endure  a  dependence  dear,  generous 
Mrs.  Akme  forbids  me  to  think  of,  but  which, 
none  the  less,  exists,  if  she  will  be  so  good  as 
to  let  me  give  music-lessons." 

"  But,  dear  Alma,"  expostulated  Lennox, 
"  Mrs.  Akme  asks  you  to  take  the  place  of  her 
own  daughter.  She  wrould  never  permit  you 
to  do  this." 

"  I  think,  Lennox,  that  she  would  when  she 
understands  that  it  is  necessary  for  my  own 
self-respect,"  she  replied. 

Mrs.  Akme  was  so  anxious  that  she  could 
no  longer  stay  away,  so  she  entered  at  this 
moment,  and  said  to  them  in  a  loving  way  : 

"  I  am  sure,  my  children,  that  you  love  each 
other,  and  I  trust  that  you  have  found  out  that 
you  do." 

And  Lennox  answered  :   "  Dear  mother,  as 


CHIM    ACCEPTS   A   NEW    MASTER          2/7 

your  adopted  children  we  crave  your  bless 
ing." 

Then  she  blessed  them  as  her  very  own. 

"  I  have  told  Lennox  that  we  must  wait  in 
all  patience,  for  as  yet  we  cannot  marry,"  said 
Alma. 

"  Not  so,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Akme;  "  you  need 
the  immediate  protection  that  Lennox  can  give 
•you.  Then  his  right  will  be  superior  to  that  of 
your  guardian." 

At  this,  Alma,  who  could  always  be  reasoned 
with,  being  superior  in  this  respect  to  the  gen 
erality  of  mankind,  looked  very  serious,  and 
the  whole  matter  was  carefully  reviewed  in  all 
its  aspects,  the  conclusion  being  that  if  Mr. 
Hereford  endangered  her  stay  with  Mrs.  Akme 
by  his  persistency,  she  would  then  marry  Len 
nox  at  once.  But  otherwise  the  engagement 
would  not  be  announced,  but  affairs  would  re 
main  in  abeyance. 

"Ah,"  sighed  Alma,  "could  I  but  only  re 
gain  the  dear  old  homestead,  which,  it  does 
seem,  should  have  remained  by  right  as  ours, 


2/8  CHIM 

then  I  would  not  feel  so — in  spite  of  all  your 
tender  love — so  like  an  object  of  charity,"  and 
she  burst  into  tears. 

Then  Mrs.  Akme,  kissing  her,  said,  "  I 
never,  never  can  forgive  that  brutal  man  for  his 
cruel  speech." 

It  is  strange  how  all  the  leading  events  of 
life  are  accompanied  by  lesser  incidents,  as  if 
there  were  always,  in  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the 
tide  of  human  action,  wavelets  of  reflex  motion. 
So  it  was  in  this  instance,  for  as  Lennox  and 
Alma  attained  this  climacteric  period  leading 
up  to  their  united  existence — a  sort  of  high-tide 
movement,  as  it  were — Chim,  who  had  played 
such  an  important  part  as  the  immediate  cause 
of  their  knowing  each  other  at  all,  was  an  un 
observed, but  not  an  unobservant, spectator  of  all 
that  had  just  taken  place.  But  he  had  that  wis 
dom,  notwithstanding  his  deep  interest  in  what 
was  going  on,  that  comparatively  few  mortals 
possess,  of  keeping  absolute  silence  at  the  prop 
er  time;  nor  did  he  by  any  movement  obtrude 
his  presence  even  when  Mrs.  Akme  entered. 


CIIIM   ACCEPTS   A    NEW   MASTER          279 

And  now  comes  the  astounding  proof  that  a 
wise  dog  does  know  his  own  master,  even  when 
that  master  is  a  new  one,  for  when  Lennox  went 
away,  Chim,  without  making  the  least  sign  of 
what  he  was  going  to  do,  slyly  followed  him  in 
silence.  Of  course  Chim  knew  perfectly,  having 
seen,  heard, and  watched  the  entire  proceedings, 
that  "Alma  was  too  agitated — in  fact,  each  of 
the  dramatis  persona  had  been  too  occupied — 
to  notice  him,  and  yet  he  felt  it  due  to  the  oc 
casion  to  act  his  own  part  properly  and  make 
a  respectful  act  of  allegiance  to  Lennox.  He 
therefore  meekly  followed  this  man  of  Alma's 
choice  to  his  office, and  so  preoccupied  was  Len 
nox  that  it  was  not  until  he  had  seated  himself 
at  his  desk  that  Chini  thought  the  time  had 
come  to  attract  his  attention. 

Lennox  knew  all  about  dogs,  and  so  at  once 
understood  that  Chim  wished  to  say  to  him 
that  he  adopted  Lennox  as  one  of  the  family. 
So,  taking  Chim  in  his  arms,  he  stroked,  pet 
ted,  caressed  and  praised  him  for  the  delicate 
compliment  in  his  regard.  At  the  same  time 


280  CHIM 

he  explained  to  Chim  that  it  was  the  wish  of 
Alma  that  the  engagement  should  not  be 
known,  and  that  he  must,  therefore,  not  follow 
him  around.  Whereupon,  taking  a  cab,  he  at 
once  returned  Chim  to  his  mistress,  who  must 
have  somewhat  mortified  the  dog's  vanity  by 
saying  that  she  had  not  been  aware  of  his 
absence. 

Ah,  Chim !  although  you  bore  a  part  in  this 
life-drama,  yet  in  this  one  act  you  were  not 
missed. 

"  I  hurried  back  with  him,  dear  Alma,"  said 
Lennox,  laughing,  "  for  fear  that  he  might,  by 
his  devoted  attentions,  make  the  announcement 
before  you  were  ready  to  permit  it." 

"  The  very  thoughtful  act  of  a  true  cavalier," 
said  Alma.  "Thanks." 

That  very  day  that  Alma  and  Lennox  were 
affianced  the  air  seemed  propitious  for  lovers, 
for  about  the  same  hour  that  the  little  love- 
scene  just  narrated  was  enacted  at  Mrs.  Akme's, 
Mr.  Marquis  La  Fayette  cle  Noo,  finding  the 
pretty  Annette  in  the  upper  hall  alcove  alone, 


CIIIM    ACCEPTS    A    XKW    MASTER  281 

sat  down  on  a  tabouret  beside  her  to  assist  her 
by  handing  out  of  a  basket  near  by  the  nceuds 
of  rose-colored  ribbons  with  which  a  ball-dress 
of  Miss  Marie  Jeanne  was  being  trimmed. 

"Annette,"  he  asked,  "  how  is  it  that  you 
happen  to  understand  my  English  so  well  ?" 

She  laughed  a  little  laugh  that  sounded  like 
the  low  tinkling  of  a  silver  bell,  and  an 
swered: 

"  Of  course,  your  English  is  not  easy  to  un 
derstand,  yet  why  should  I  not  speak  the  lan 
guage  and  understand  it  too  ?" 

"  Because,"  answered  Marquis,  "  I  never 
heard  of  any  Frenchwoman  talking  as  you  do." 

"  I  will  tell  you  a  little  secret,"  she  said  mys 
teriously,  "  if  you  will  promise  to  keep  it  to 
yourself." 

"  Ton  honor  I  promise,"  he  answered,  "for 
I  am  just  dying  to  hear." 

"  With  curiosity  such  as  women  have  ?"  she 
asked. 

"  I  confess  to  far  more,"  said  he;  "  I've  just 
one  minute  to  bear  this  suspense  and  live." 


282  CIIIM 

"  Well,  then,"  she  said,  "  it's  a  dead  secret, 
but  I'm  not  a  Frenchwoman  at  all." 

"Maybe,  then,"  said  he,  "  you're  a  Russian 
Nihilist,  an  Italian  countess,  a  German  frau- 
lein,  or  an  English  governess  ?" 

"  You  shall  never  know,"  she  answered 
poutingly. 

"  You  needn't  confess,"  cried  he,  "  for  I  know 
for  sure  and  certain  that  you're  the  loveliest 
little  witch  since  the  Creation,  when  one  came 
out  of  the  Garden  of  Eden." 

"  You've  guessed  just  right,"  said  she;  "  I've 
changed  my  mind  again,  and  if  you  will  keep 
quiet,  and  not  rumple  those  silk  bows,  I'll  tell 
you  a  little  history  just  as  it  came  to  pass  : 
Well,  once  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  young  girl  in 
the  Wooden  Nutmeg  State,  and  she  was  a  moth 
erless  lass.  She  had  a  big  brother — please  take  a 
note  of  that — but  no  sister,  and  her  father  was  a 
farmer,  who  had  at  one  time  been  a  miner  and 
'made  his  pile, 'and  speculated  and  lostit  all, ex 
cept  enough  to  buy  a  farm  of  stones,  briars  and 
thistles  with.  So  this  girl,  who  looked  as  I  do, 


CULM   ACCEPTS   A   NEW    MASTER          283 

and  whose  name  was  Anne  Larens,had  to  go  to 
a  hotel  in  Northampton  in  summer  as  a  wait 
ress  so  as  to  get  enough  money  for  her  winter's 
schooling.  And  there  were  other  farmers' 
daughters  who  did  the  same  thing,  and  it  was 
thought  no  disgrace  for  us.  But  one  day  there 
arrived  at  the  hotel  a  very  rich  invalid  old 
lady,  who  took  a  great  fancy  to  Anne  and 
would  have  the  girl  travel  with  her;  and  so, 
when  the  father  found  that  the  heart  of  his 
daughter  was  set  on  it  he  let  her  go,  just  for  a 
little,  to  see  the  world.  Then  she  went  over  to 
Europe,  where,  after  traveling  about  for  some 
time,  the  old  lady  suddenly  died  in  Paris. 
Now,  just  at  that  sad  time,  when  Anne  was 
unexpectedly  left  alone  in  a  foreign  country, 
and  had  to  get  back  to  America  the  best  way 
she  could,  a  very  rich  American  lady  adver 
tised  for  a  French  maid." 

"And  you  offered  yourself,  Annette,"  Mark 
interrupted. 

"  In  the  first  place,"  replied  the  girl,  blush 
ing,  "my  name  is  not  Annette,  but  Anne 


284  CHIM 

Larens,  and,  in  the  second  place,  I'm  heartily 
ashamed  to  confess  that  necessity  compelled 
me  to  represent  myself  as  French.  But  I  have 
been  faithful,  and  tried  to  do  more  than  a 
French  maid  would  consent  to  do." 

"  Ha,  ha  !"  laughed  Mark;  "it's  the  drollest 
thing  I  ever  heard." 

"As  to  my  French,"  said  Anne,  "it  has 
passed  muster  and  been  better  understood  for 
the  liberal  use  of  English;  but,  candidly,  I've 
been  very  unhappy  on  account  of  the  deceit, 
and  I  have  written  to  father  that  I'm  here,  and 
will  come  to  him  so  soon  as  my  place  can  be 
filled." 

"  No  you  won't,  dear  Anne,"  exclaimed 
Mark,  respectfully  taking  her  hand  and  kissing 
it,  "  for  I  can't  live  without  you.  I  would  rather 
work  on  your  father's  farm  with  your  big 
brother,  than  dawdle  away  my  time  here  when 
you  go." 

"You  are  not  spoiled,  but  manly,  after  all," 
replied  Anne;  "  but  I've  more  pride,  perhaps, 
than  you  think  for,  Mark,  and  for  all  the  world 


CIIIM    ACCEPTS    A    NEW    MASTER          285 

I  wouldn't  run  away  with  you  and  have  it  said 
I  had  entrapped  you  by  my  arts." 

"  If  you  loved  me,"  said  he  ruefully,  "  you 
would  be  willing  to  marry  me  and  take  my 
name." 

"  A  name  of  Mark,"  she  slyly  suggested. 

"  But  here  comes  the  governor,"  said  he;  "I 
hear  "the  fog-horn  " — by  which  euphony  his  son 
referred  to  a  way  his  father  had  of  using  a  huge 
red  silk  bandana. 

"  Do,  dear  Anne,  say  yes  or  no  to  a  man — 
do  you  love  me  ?  Don't  say  no." 

"  Yes,"  whispered  she,  and  he  just  had  time 
to  snatch  a  kiss  in  grateful  recognition  and  de 
clare  that  he  wasn't  good  enough  by  half,  when 
they  were  interrupted. 

"  Father,"  said  he,  taking  Anne's  hand,  "I 
love  this  young  woman,  and  have  told  her  so, 
but  she  will  never  marry  me  unless  you  say 
yes.  Give  us  your  blessing,  I  beg  you." 

There  was  a  dew  drop  in  Larry  Noo's  eye 
as  he  looked  at  the  handsome  young  couple 
who  stood  before  him.  He  grazed  at  them 


286  CULM 

some  minutes,  then  sadly  shook  his  head,  say 
ing : 

"  I'm  sorry,  my  boy;  I  don't  mind  her  being 
poor,  for  I  was  once  a  poor  boy  myself,  and 
I've  worked  up.  She's  a  likely  young  woman, 
too.  Well,  I'm  awful  sorry,  but  the  long  and 
the  short  of  it  is,  Mark,  I  can't  go  the  French." 

Mark,  who  at  first  had  looked  very  lugubri 
ous,  at  this  unexpected  ending  actually  shouted, 
he  laughed  so;  he  cut  a  double  pigeon- wing, 
then  shook  hands  with  the  old  gentleman,  cry 
ing  out:  "All  right,  governor!  we're  yours 
every  time — she's  a  Yankee  girl.  HitrraJi  /" 

"  You  don't  say  so  !"  exclaimed  Larry  Noo 
opening  his  eyes  wide;  "I  thought  there  was 
good  in  her.  But  say,  Mark,  how  did  she  catch 
that  infernal  jingo  so  pat  ?  " 

So  the  three  sat  down  on  the  sofa,  the  gov 
ernor  between  them,  and  the  lover  told  the 
whole  story,  with  very  complimentary  flour 
ishes  in  behalf  of  Anne,  but  when  he  came 
to  the  name — Anne  Larens — his  father  cried 
out: 


CIIIM    ACCEPTS   A   NEW    MASTER          287 

"  Bless  me  !  what  was  your  father's  name, 
Anne  ? " 

"When  he  was  a  miner,  sir,  he  was  called 
'  Towhead  Bill,'  because  of  his  light  hair,"  she 
answered. 

Whereupon,  Larry  Noo  just  opened  wide 
his  brawny,  honest,  helpful  arms,  and  giving 
the  pretty  maid  a  tight  squeeze,  exclaimed: 
''  Well,  I  declare,  it's  too  good  to  be  true — Bill 
Larens's  daughter  !  Why,  girl,  I  just  loved 
your  father;  but  promise  me,  Anne,  there'll  be 
none  of  that  polly-voos.  I  just  hate  it;  it  takes 
all  the  starch  out  of  a  man." 

"  Never  a  word,  sir;  we  both  hate  it,"  laughed 
Anne. 

"  The  Lord  be  praised  for  all  his  mercies  !" 
said  Larry  Noo  devoutly.  "  Now,  children,  do 
as  I  say:  Don't  waste  time;  take  a  cab;  take  a 
wedding  trip  ;  go  to  Philadelphia  ;  telegraph 
me  from  there  when  you're  married." 

"  And  mother  and  Sis  ?  "  asked  Mark. 

"  It'll  be  pretty  tough  for  me  at  first,"  said 
Larry  Noo  wincing;  "but  leave  that  to  me,chil- 


288  CIIIM 

clren,  for,"  he  added,  with  great  feeling,  "  it'll 
be  the  making  of  you,  my  boy;  and  here's  the 
needful  to  start  with." 

So  saying,  he  pulled  a  fat  pocket-book  out, 
handing  it  to  his  son. 

"  Oh,  sir,"  said  Anne,  "you  are  indeed  one 
of  nature's  noblemen." 

"  Not  a  word  of  that,  Anne,"  said  he.  "  I'm 
plain  Larry  Noo." 

"  Pardon  me,  sir,"  said  she;  "  I  love  Mark,  but 
if  I  marry  him  he  must  work,  and  make  a  man 
of  himself." 

"  I'd  expect  as  much,"  said  Larry  Noo  ad 
miringly,  "from  Billy  Larens's  daughter — 
that's  the  true  ring  in  it,  Anne." 

"  If  you  say  so,  father,  this  dear  plucky  little 
woman  and  I  will  try  it  in  Dakota,  where  a  man 
may  work  up  to  something." 

"  I'd  like  to  go  there  myself,"  said  Larry 
Noo  enthusiastically.  "  It's  a  blessed  place 
for  freedom,  where  every  man  can  smoke, 
speak  and  spit  as  he  pleases.  But  go  now," 
he  added  nervously.  "I'll  express  the  trunks 


CHIM    ACCEPTS    A    XEW    MASTER          289 

after   you — go,   before    mother    and    Sis    come 
home." 

And  just  as  these  ladies  drove  up  to  the  door 
a  cab  was  turning  the  corner,  in  which  were 
two  happy,  happy  lovers  on  their  way  to  Phila 
delphia  and  matrimony. 


CHAPTER    XII 

CHIM   SUB   ROSA 

IN  the  feverish  excitement  incident  to  rapid 
money-making  in  this  country,  it  will  now  and 
then  occur  that  combinations  and  trusts,  sim 
ilar  to  the  one  of  which  Buncombe  Hereford 
was  president,  will  inveigle  the  unwary.  They 
should  rather  be  called  mistrusts. 

Even  as  some  overshadowing  tree,  that  ab 
sorbs,  as  it  grows,  endless  solar  rays  which  are 
hidden  in  its  opaque  substance,  collecting  a 
thousand,  thousand  influences  toward  its  vast 
increase,  holding  its  varied  elements  in  close 
cohesion,  and  only  reproducing  its  hitherto  im 
pervious  light  through  combustion,  and,  with 
the  glare  of  desolating  conflagration,  leaving 
naught  but  a  residuum  of  ashes,  so  Buncombe 
Hereford,  as  the  master-spirit  of  this  trust, 

knew  that  the  first   incandescent   sparks  had 
290 


CHIM   SUB   ROSA  29! 

already  laid  the  train  for  that  fierce  burning-. 
He  foresaw  that  the  hollow  shams  of  watered 
stocks,  fraudulent  issues,  flattering  promises, 
brilliant  circulars,  hypothecated  mineral  lands, 
as  securities  that  had  no  real  existence,  and 
paper  towns  of  alluring  aspect,  must  collapse 
— he  knew  that  this  network  of  fraud  could  not 
be  indefinitely  floated. 

He  had  expected,  by  a  sort  of  hocus-pocus 
familiar  to  those  experts  who  handle  big 
schemes,  to  be  able  to  inflate  the  market,  sell 
his  bonds  at  high  figures,  and  stand  from  under 
with  bloated  wealth  when  the  inevitable  crash 
must  come.  But  his  distended  balloon  had  be 
come  unwieldy  and  soared  out  of  reach. 

Under  the  terrible  pressure  of  the  swift-com 
ing  doom,  insomnia,  that  grim  scourge  of  the 
overcrowded  brain  and  of  spent  force,  took 
possession  of  him  and  exhausted  his  remaining 
nerve  power. 

Already  some  days  had  elapsed  since  he 
sent  that  note  to  Alma  which  gave  her  so 
much  uneasiness,  but  the  multiplied  and  har- 


2Q2  CULM 

assing  cares  that  beset  him  had  caused  a  delay 
in  the  execution  of  a  set  purpose,  whose  frui 
tion,  after  all,  was  but  a  mere  passing  pleasure, 
the  plucking  of  a  wayside  flower  that  bloomed 
in  his  path.  Like  other  whims  of  fancy,  it 
could  be  allowed  momentarily  to  rest,  while 
events  would  assist  in  development  when  he 
was  prepared  to  act. 

A  day  of  great  and  harassing  disappoint 
ments  had  just  closed,  whose  culminating  point 
had  been  the  summons  to  appear  before  a  cer 
tain  congressional  committee  for  an  investi 
gation  that  he  was  in  no  wise  prepared  to  meet. 

Being  thus  unexpectedly  hunted  down  and 
brought  to  bay,  he  concluded  to  try  an  evasive 
policy — quietly  leave  town  and  retire  to  the 
old  Virginia  homestead  until  the  time  would 
come  to  double  on  his  track  and  reappear.  It 
would  be  understood  that  he  had  been  sud 
denly  called  to  London  to  confer  with  some 
leading  capitalists.  Meantime,  in  order  to 
solace  some  coming  idle  hours,  he  would  take 
his  pretty  ward  with  him,  and  introduce  her  to 


CHIM   SUB   ROSA  293 

the  old  homestead,  which  really  was  hers.  He 
felt  that  he  was  but  an  usurper  under  its  shel 
tering  roof. 

The  business  complications  that  he  had 
represented  to  Alma's  mother  as  existing  had 
as  their  sole  cause  his  own  fraudulent  use  of 
their  means,  in  exchange  for  which  he  had  doled 
out  a  stinted  allowance  during  the  lifetime  of 
Alma's  mother,  and,  after  her  death,  had  her 
daughter  educated  in  order  to  support  herself. 
Nor  was  he  in  any  strict  legal  sense,  as  he  as 
sumed  to  be,  Alma's  guardian,  or  she  his  ward. 
But  Buncombe  Hereford  knew  the  weight  of 
assumptions  and  plausible  assertions,  for  from 
beginning  to  end  his  career  could  have  been 
summed  up  in  five  letters— fraud.  One  thing 
had  been  commented  upon  very  quietly  in  that 
part  of  the  country  where  the  old  manor-house 
was — that  no  will  had  ever  been  found  of  Alma's 
Grandfather  Hereford.  He  was  a  prudent  old 
gentleman,  and  it  was  thought  curious,  to  say 
the  least,  that  a  man  of  large  estate  should 
have  died  intestate.  But  in  that  matter  his 


294  CHIM 

nephew  was  actually  innocent,  for  he,  as  well 
as  others,  knew  nothing  of  any  testamentary 
papers.  Hereford  had  made  strict  but  vain 
search  at  the  old  place  when  he  was  there. 

He  expected  to  have  a  busy  day  on  the  mor 
row,  for  the  day  after  he  would  go  down  to  the 
old  Virginia  homestead,  taking  Alma  with  him. 

Sleep  was  sadly  needed.  He  had  walked 
the  floor  for  several  hours;  all  his  immediate 
plans  were  matured,  and  what  was  now  the 
paramount  necessity  was  some  hours  of  rest. 
But  he  was  never  wider  awake.  There  was  a  dull 
ache  in  the  back  of  the  neck,  as  if  his  head  was 
supported  with  difficulty;  now  and  then  shoot 
ing  pains  passed  through  the  temples,  which 
work  and  worry  and  wakefulness  might  readily 
cause. 

"It  is  the  neuralgic  air  of  Washington," 
thought  he;  "I  will  compel  sleep." 

He  knew  that  to  seek  the  bed  would  but 
keep  him  wide  awake,  so,  reclining  in  a  luxu 
rious  cJiaise-longJic  in  a  half  recumbent  posture, 
he  muttered:  "I  know  it  can  be  done — I  will 


CHIM'  SUB   ROSA  295 

hypnotize  myself,  and  my  weary  mind  shall 
demand  and  gain  the  mastery  over  its  slave, 
the  body." 

A  red-shaded  lamp  placed  in  a  corner  of  the 
room  threw  a  small  circle  of  roseate  light  upon 
the  ceiling,  and  this  point  he  selected  for  ex 
periment.  So,  fixing  his  gaze  intently  with  the 
full  force  of  his  will  power  on  the  radius  of  the 
quivering  diameter,  he  presently  fell  under  his 
own  hypnotic  power. 

And  now  a  strange  and  weird  sensation  took 
possession  of  him.  He  had  grasped  the  thun 
derbolt  and  played  with  the  electric  lightning's 
thrill,  but  it  brought  with  it  elemental  dissolu 
tion;  almost  at  once  he  began  to  have  the  hor 
rible  realization  that  he  was  slowly,  but  surely, 
separating  from  his  dual  self. 

He  tried  in  vain  to  resist  this  painful  division, 
for  he  dearly  loved,  nay,  worshiped,  his  own 
indivisible  Egv,  and  he  must  have  and  retain 
every  particle  of  himself.  But  his  gaze  was 
firmly  riveted  upon  this  small  luminous  circum 
ference,  and  he  was  unable  to  divert  it. 


296  CHIM 

It  was  rapidly  increasing  in  its  intensity,  and 
had  now  become  a  crystal  filled  with  odylic 
power,  and  speeding  forth  innumerous  rays  that 
shot  through  the  full  tension  of  his  brain  with 
millions,  billions,  trillions  of  infinitesimal  mag 
netic  points,  that  caused  the  most  horrible 
pricking,  burning,  flashing  pains.  Yet  the  sheer 
agony  of  it  all  was,  that  out  of  the  depths  of 
this  burning  crystal,  as  in  a  flaming  focus,  there 
came  forth,  one  by  one,  in  endless  procession, 
the  compulsory  review  of  the  sins  of  a  lifetime. 

Nothing  could  be  palliated  or  hidden  when 
made  clear  by  that  radiant  magic  mirror,  upon 
whose  telltale  surface,  before  the  assembled 
throngs  of  curious,  jibing  onlookers  that  now 
appeared  in  dim  outline  above,  below,  around 
him,  filling  up  all  space,  and  smothering  him 
down  by  the  vast  concourse  that  ever  grew. 
Ah,  yes;  these  were  the  accusing  souls — some 
writhen,  distorted  features  he  began  to  recog 
nize,  and  they,  one  and  all,  in  silence  pointed 
to  the  merciless,  transparent  surface  of  that 
crystal. 


CIIIM   SUB   ROSA  297 

No  voice  spake,  but  he  was  made  to  under 
stand:  "  These  are  your  accusers,  and  the  burn 
ing  crystal  is  truth,  before  which  stands  your 
naked  soul,  stripped  of  all  disguises." 

He  groaned,  and  foamed;  and  raged  under 
the  torture,  but  never  one  cry  for  mercy  escaped 
that  proud  spirit.  No  penitential  tear  was  shed 
to  wipe  out  with  its  purifying  brightness  the 
'dark  stains  ;  not  one  prayer  of  true  contri 
tion  ascended  to  redeem  the  soul  that  hung 
suspended  in  the  balance,  and  the  pitying  an- 
ge  turned  away,  its  translucent  wings,  poised 
heavenward  to  save,  now  folded,  sad-drooping. 

And  then,  amidst  the  ravings  of  his  despair, 
last  and  chiefest  appeared  the  mouthing,  jib- 
bering  face  of  his  once  beautiful  wife,  whose 
senseless,  lunatic  expression  dominated  every 
other  image;  and,  as  if  in  shadow,  also  rose  to 
view  the  reproachful  eyes  of  Alma.  No  forms 
appeared,  for  he  only  saw  the  agonized  face  of 
his  wife  and  the  penetrating  gaze  of  Alma. 

And  during  this  mental  torment  was  the 
physical  one  of  being  rent  apart. 


298  CHIM 

Now  he  is  dual.  He  grasps  at  an  ethereal 
subtle  vapor  that  vainly  seeks  to  repossess  the 
senses,  but  it  is  thrust  aside  by  a  grosser  fluidic 
substance,  that  forms  into  terrible  shape,  that 
with  menace  takes  possession,  and,  with  the 
infinite  yearning  that  the  lost  soul  alone  can 
know,  there  fades  away  out  of  his  brutal  grasp 
that  outraged  purer  principle  that  had  made  its 
life-struggle  in  vain.  Oh,  most  horrible  fate! 
to  have,  with  one's  own  volition,  cast  forth  the 
spiritual  essence  ! 

Disembodied  from  this  higher  life  he  began 
to  sink,  clogged  heavily  by  the  weight  of  the 
dull  form  that  bore  him  downward — he  was 
dying,  and  loosened  was  his  clinging  hqld  of 
Earth. 

The  thread  of  life  could  no  longer  endure  the 
tension  of  that  irresistible  momentum.  Then 
he  fell  heavily,  the  strong  will,  that  had  made 
him  adhere  so  tenaciously  to  himself,  snapped 
asunder  like  a  broken  reed,  and,  having  heaped 
full  and  running  over  the  measure  of  his  mis 
deeds,  Buncombe  Hereford  was  dead.  He  was 


CHIM    SUB   ROSA  299 

dead — or,  being  hypnotized,  he  was  mistaken 
for  dead,  and  buried  as  dead. 

The  abracadabra  of  society,  that  which  ren 
ovates  its  feeble  vitality  and  preserves  it  from 
entire  inanition,  is  gossip,  that,  like  the  inverted 
cone  of  this  ancient  mystic  triangle  which  be 
gins  with  next  to  nothing,  spreading  out  by 
repetition  to  such  broad  dimensions  that  it  is 
surprising  how  it  remains  self-sustaining,  and 
yet  it  simply  begins  with  the  first  person,  who 
says  "A,"  the  next  adds,  and  says  "A  B,"  and 
so  on,  and  so  forth. 

But  the  day  succeeding  the  sensational  elope 
ment  of  Marquis  La  Fayette  de  Noo,  and  the 
tragic  suddenness  of  the  taking  off  of  the  Trust 
Magnate,  was  indeed  a  regular  red-letter  day, 
a  windfall  mercifully  given,  too,  just  as  the  gay 
season  had  closed,  and  the  insufferable  dull 
ness  of  Lent  had  set  in. 

These  two  events,  under  their  relatively  com 
ical  and  serious  aspects,  formed  what  is  called 
"the  staple  of  conversation"  during  no  end  of 


300  CIIIM 

luncheons  and  the  pclit-soupers  that  charac 
terize  Lenten  devotions  at  the  capital. 

The  saints  of  the  deserts  fasted  and  prayed, 
but  we  have  changed  all  that  in  this  nineteenth 
century,  for  now  it  is  said,  "  they  feasted  and 
prayed."  Why  not  ?  asks  Society. 

It  would  take  a  library  of  such  books  as  "  A 
Washington  Season,"  and  "A  Washington 
Winter,"  to  narrate  the  half  that  was  volubly 
repeated  on  this  occasion.  Even  Chim,  who 
had  had  his  card  engraved  "  Mr.  Chim,"  made 
visits,  and  been  par  excellence  the  social 
lion,  although  as  yet  he  had  not  scratched  up 
ten  thousand  a  month — even  Chim  was  no 
longer  in  apogee ! 

Yet,  could  these  agitated  social  circles  have 
heard  with  their  own  polite  ears,  or  seen  with 
their  own  critical  eyes,  what  really  took  place 
when  the  ladies  De  Noo  returned  from  that 
drive,  it  would  have  been  more  satisfying. 

As  it  was,  the  French  valet  who  stood  in  the 
adjoining  room  that  day  saw  all,  but  under 
stood  imperfectly.  His  imagination,  however, 


CHIM    SUB    ROSA  3<DI 

supplied  the  missing  links  when  he  communi 
cated  his  impressions,  with  appropriate  gestures, 
to  the  French  maid  of  Mrs.  MacKane,  and  she 
told  the  English  footman  of  Mr.  Tom  Noodles, 
who  told  his  master,  and  that  accomplished 
raconteur  lost  no  time  in  giving  a  club  dinner, 
for  there  was  something  more  rare  than  terrapin 
stew'  or  canvas-back  to  serve  up — there  was 
the  recital  of  a  bona-fide  scene. 

But  Larry  Noo  himself  is  the  best  authority, 
and  there  is  extant  the  longest  letter  he  ever 
wrote,  for  business  correspondence  is  always 
limited-express  matter.  This  racy  epistle,  ad 
dressed  to  his  son  Mark,  gives  the  long  and 
the  short  of  what  happened  on  the  return  home 
of  the  ladies  De  Noo  on  that  fateful  morning. 

The  moment  they  entered,  Mrs.  La  Fayette 
de  Noo  directed  a  servant  to  "send  for  An 
nette"  to  take  off  her  wraps,  as  she  was  too  tired 
out  even  to  ascend  in  the  lift  before  lunching. 

The  smiling  footman,  butler,  second  man, 
and  parlor  maid  all  joined  in  a  still  hunt,  which 
of  course  proved  unavailing. 


3O2  CHIM 

Mrs.  La  Fayette  de  Noo  remembered  that 
animating  incident  of  the  old  French  monarch, 
who  would  rather  die  than  be  assisted  by  the 
wrong  functionary,  and  she  proposed  to  be  in 
good  form. 

The  maid  was  wanted  to  remove  madame's 
hat,  wrap  and  gloves,  and  the  maid  alone 
would  madame  have. 

Meantime  Marie  Jeanne,  who  was  less  per 
meated  with  the  heroism  of  noblesse  oblige, 
ran  up-stairs  to  her  room,  but  soon  came 
bouncing  down,  quite  like  an  excited  school 
girl. 

"Mere,"  she  cried,  "Annette's  gone!  I  don't 
as  yet  miss  anything,  but  of  course  some 
thing's  gone  with  her." 

"  I'm  in  a  way,"  cried  Mrs.  La  Fayette  de 
Noo,  much  flustered.  "  Nobody  here  to  take 
off  my  gants." 

"  If  you're  upset,  mere,"  suggested  the  young 
lady,  who  was  ever  ready  to  take  his  reme 
dies,  "  send  for  Dr.  Mensana." 

"  No,  I  won't,"  replied  the  mere,  with  con- 


CHIM   SUB   ROSA  303 

siderable  vivacity;  "  he'll  advise  a  muster- 
plaster." 

"What's  the  matter,  ladies?"  tenderly  in 
quired  Mr.  Lafayette  de  Noo,  who  at  this 
moment  made  his  appearance,  and  whose  pro 
longed  residence  in  Washington  was  making 
him  diplomatic. 

"  Annette  !  Annette  !  "  they  both  bawled  out 
in  chorus. 

"  Let  me  take  her  place,  since  she's  other 
wise  engaged,"  suggested  he  with  a  bow. 

"  I  declare,"  thought  his  wife,  "  he's  next  to 
equal  of  the  French  minister,  Larry  is." 

Perceiving  the  bland  look  of  his  spouse,  he 
stooped  over,  untied  her  bonnet-strings,  loos 
ened  her  head-gear,  and  actually  imprinted  a 
kiss  right  in  the  middle  of  her  forehead,  for  he 
felt  some  sorrow  and  more  compunction  in  her 
regard. 

"  Oo  !  Oo  !  "  she  cried,  quickly  clapping  her 
gloved  hands  to  the  frizzes  that  were  pinned 
on  to  the  top  of  her  cranium,  but  which,  having 
been  dislodged  by  Larry's  unpinning,  now 


304  CHIM 

tumbled   off  in    a    mass.     "  Oo,  Oo  !   me  c/ie- 

" 


"  Gemini,  mother  !  "  cried  the  unfortunate, 
stepping  back  amazed  and  aghast  at  the 
devastation.  "Have  I  scalped  you?  I  feel 
like  a  real,  live,  wild  Injun." 

"Worse  an'  worser  nor  that!"  she  cried. 
"  I'm  in  dishabille.  Where's  Mark  ?  " 

"  True  enough,"  remarked  Marie  Jeanne. 
"  You  bet  he  knows  where  Annette  is." 

"  He  does,  "replied  Larry,  with  a  big  Adam's 
apple  sticking  in  his  throat.  "  I  saw  them 
drive  off  together  !  " 

"  You  saw  them,  and  didn't  stop  them!"  cried 
his  wife  in  astonishment.  "Just  them  two  en- 
famillc  ?  " 

"  The  French  part  of  it  warn't  there,"  said 
pater-familias. 

"  Well,  it's  come  to  a  pretty  pass,"  cried 
Miss  Marie  Jeanne,  tossing  her  head,  "when  a 
hoity-toity  maid  takes  a  ride  with  a  De  Noo  ! 
When  she  comes  back,  I'll  just  ship  her  over 
the  sea  to  France." 


CHIM   SUB   ROSA  305 

"  But  she  won't  come  back,"  said  her  father 
gravely. 

"And  what  am  I  to  do  sans  a  French 
maid  ? "  asked  his  wife. 

"  Take  me,  or  take  an  Irish  one,  mother," 
suggested  he. 

"  Mr.  La  Fayette  de  Noo,"  expostulated  she 
with  dignity,  "this,  sir,  is  adding  insult  to  in 
jury.  I  wish  my  son  Marquis  was  here." 

"  He  won't  come  back  either,"  said  he  dog 
gedly. 

"  Where's  Mark  gone  to  ?  "  both  exclaimed. 

"  To  be  married  to  Anne  Larens,  thanks 
be  to  a  merciful  Providence,"  said  his  father 
defiantly. 

The  mother's  face  was  a  study  at  that  mo 
ment,  for,  mixed  with  worry  and  rage,  was  a 
queer  fancy  that  struck  her.  "  I'm  sure,"  she 
thought,  "Annette  was  a  French  nobility  in 
disguise.  Mark's  smart.  He  ought  to  be,  he's 
my  son,  and  he's  just  got  her  in  time.  I'll  for 
give  them." 

But  Marie  Jeanne  cried  out,  "  I'm  going  off 


306  CHIM 

in  a  dead  faint.  Send  for  Dr.  Mensana — 
quick." 

But  her  father  said,  "  No,  you  ain't,  Mary 
Jane;  your  color's  good  and  your  voice  strong. 
Smell  camphor." 

And  the  mother  turning  to  him  said  very 
pleasantly,  "Not  Anne  Larens,  dear;  you 
mean  Annette." 

Tender-hearted  Larry  Noo  was  quite  over 
come  by  the  unexpected  "  dear,"  so  taking  her 
hand  with  a  certain  rude  grace,  he  kissed  it. 

"  He's  getting  just  like  a  French  Count," 
thought  she,  and  she  graciously  repeated, 
"  Annette,  dear,  and  probably  Annette  de 
Montmorency.  That's  a  real  swell  family  in 
France." 

This  impeachment  against  Bill  Larens's 
daughter  was  too  much  for  Larry.  So  folding 
his  arms  and  standing  very  straight  and  reso 
lute,  he  said  emphatically:  "  Let  me  tell  you 
once  for  all,  mother,  she's  a  fine  young  woman 
and  no  French  blood  in  her  veins.  She's  a 
regular  Yankee,  and,  I'm  proud  to  say,  old 


CHIM   SUB   ROSA  307 

Bill  Larens's  daughter,  and  no  honester  man 
than  that  same  tovvhead  Bill  ever  drew  the 
breath  of  life." 

"  The  deceitful  wretch  !  "  cried  Marie  Jeanne. 
"Send  at  once  for  Dr.  Mensana.  I'm  very 
sick." 

"And  I'm  vvorse'n  sick,"  exclaimed  the 
mother,  rising  majestically,  "for  I'm  mad  as  a 
"hornet." 

"Now,  mother,"  interrupted  her  husband, 
soothingly,  "brace  up." 

"  No,  I  won't !  "  she  cried.  "To  have  my  hopes 
all  dashed,  just  as  I  was  looking  forward  to 
Mark's  keeping  up  the  family's  dignity,  to  be 
based  on  them  foreign  nobility.  If  the  girl 
had  been  a  French  maid,  I  could  have  bought 
her  a  pedigree  of  the  French  republic.  But 
now  she's  old  Bill  Larens's  girl,  I'm  heart- 
broke." 

"  But  mother,"  interrupted  her  husband,  con 
descending  to  make  a  favorable  pointer,  "she 
was  smart  about  her  French,  wasn't  she?" 

"Yes,"  said  she  reflectively.     "  Annette  was 


308  CHIM 

cute  enough,  and  I  always  understood  her,  so 
of  course,  she  spoke  French  as  she  is  spoke." 

"Shall  I  send  for  her  to  come  back  with 
Mark  ?  "  asked  he  wistfully. 

"No !  "  they  both  shrieked  in  chorus. 

"The  sooner  you  know  it  the  better,  Larry 
Noo,"  said  his  wife.  "What  with  your  invin 
cible  ignorance  and  Mark's  goings  on  and  off, 
I  give  it  up  for  a  disgraced  family.  I  won't 
stay  here  no  longer,  nuther,  for  it's  no  place 
to  live  in,  no  how,  for  people  what  has  a  pedi 
gree  and  a  crest.  Then  the  actual,  dense  ig 
norance  !  So  many  citizens  that  speak  Eng 
lish  out  and  out.  Not  ten  of  them  senators, 
even,  talk  the  pure  Parisian,  and  they  say 
there's  a  kitchen  cabinet — that's  not  French, 
nuther." 

"Why,  mother,"  expostulated  Larry,  "of 
course  not.  This  is  an  American  country." 

"  Call  it  by  what  name  you  please"  said  she. 
"  It's  a  new  place.  Why,  just  look  at  the  old 
Washingtonians,  as  they  call  themselves — they 
don't  look  old  at  all.  I'll  go  back  and  locate 


CHIM   SUB   ROSA  309 

in  that  gay  Paris  and  ride  every  day  to  the 
Boys-de-Boolone,  where  even  the  babies  lie 
round  under  the  trees  and  call  for  '  lay'  when 
they  wants  their  bottles.  The  French  goes  so 
natural-like  with  them  pert  little  dears." 

"And  I,"  said  Marie  Jeanne,  "am  bowed 
down  with  the  disgrace — both  me  and  Dr. 
Mensana." 

"What's  he  got  to  do  with  this  family?  I 
guess  we  can  manage  ourselves,"  said  her  fa 
ther  angrily. 

"He's  to  be  one  of  us,"  said  Marie  Jeanne. 
"  He's  coming,  as  they  do  in  France,  in  a  day 
or  two,  to  ask  you  and  mere,  and  settle  for  the 
dot,  and  then  he's  going  to  marry  me." 

"  The  dot  be  d d  !  "  cried  out  her  enraged 

parent.  "  He's  an  impudent  fellow.  I've  heard 
of  that  sort  of  thing  before.  But  he  can't 
come  that  dodge  over  Larry  Noo.  Ain't  a 
man  satisfied  to  marry  my  daughter,  but  he 
must,  like  a  highway  robber,  be  asking  for  my 
purse,  too  ? " 

"  But,  pere,"  interceded  Marie  Jeanne,  coax- 


3IO  CHIM 

ingly,  taking  his  hand,  "you  wouldn't  be  so 
cruel  as  to  cut  off  your  loving,  only  daughter  ?  " 

Now  Larry  Noo  had  a  big  heart,  and  if  you 
rubbed  him  or  even  stroked  him  but  just  a 
little  the  right  way,  he  was  as  gentle  as  a  great 
purring  cat. 

"  Do  you  love  this  doctor,  Sis  ?"  he  asked  in 
a  shaky  voice. 

"  I  wish  to  marry  him,"  she  answered.  "He's 
made  famous  inventions.  We  wish  to  travel 
all  over,  and  go  to  India  and  across  the  moun 
tains  there  to  Thibet,  where  he  has  some  Silent 
Brothers,  he  says,  and  he  will  take  things  and 
instruments  with  him  of  his  own  proper  inven 
tion,  and  he  knows  how  to  make  more  of  the 
same  kind  out  of  a  thing  he  has — a  '  higher 
calculus '  he  calls  it — and  he  has  field  glasses 
made  on  purpose  to  hunt  up  microbes  and  a 
bacilli  and  grippe  insects  and  - 

"That's  enough,  Sis,"  said  her  father.  "I 
see  he's  likely  to  be  a  handy  man  to  have 
about  the  house,  but  you'll  need  a  long  purse 
to  do  all  that,  and  travel  all  over  the  world, 


CHIM   SUB   ROSA  311 

and  feed  all  that  circus.  I'll  settle  on  you,  Sis, 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars  a  year,  but  not  a 
red  cent  on  him;  and,  my  girl,  he'll  treat  you 
all  the  kinder  if  you  hold  him  with  a  short 
tether." 

"What's  his  family?"  asked  the  mother. 
"  Was  his  father  French  ?  " 

"No,  mere,"  replied  she.     "He  says  his  fa- 

>ther  ought  to  have  been   French,  he  knows. 

But  he's  next  best  thing;  his  parents  were  a 

Mafia,  and   came  over  from   Italy  by  way  of 

France." 

"  If  he  can  swear,  Sis,"  said  her  good  father, 
relenting,  "that  he's  not  one  drop  of  the  pol- 
ly-voos  in  him,  and  never  expects  to  have,  I'll 
settle  a  dot,  which  I  suppose  is  French  for  pot 
of  gold,  on  him,  although  I  hate  that  same 
word.  I'll  let  it  be  ten  thousand  a  year,  with 
a  proviso  as  long  as  he  treats  you  kind.  And 
I  wish  him  good  luck,  with  his  grasshoppers  in 
the  bargain,  though  he'll  never  catch  as  big  a 
one  as  you  are,  again." 

"  But  I  don't  like  his  having  Silent  Brothers," 


312  CIIIM 

objected  the  mother,  "for  we  might  get  mutes 
in  this  family." 

"  Leave  that  mute  business  to  me,  mere," 
said  Marie  Jeanne  as  she  disdainfully  took  her 
departure  to  her  room,  without  one  word  of 
thanks,  for  she  thought  her  father  had  been 
very  mean  to  her. 

After  she  left,  the  mother  asked,  half  crying, 
"And  who's  to  provide  for  me?" 

"Your  American  husband,  mother,"  said 
Larry  with  a  trembling  voice.  "If  you  will 
go  to  Paris,  I  will  go  to  Dakota  with  Mark  and 
Anne  and  Bill  Larens.  But  you  can  do  as 
you  please,  mother,  and  depend  on  fifty  thou 
sand  dollars  a  year  to  do  it  with.  When  I  was 
plain  Larry  Noo,  and  Bill  and  the  rest  of  the 
miners  boarded  in  our  shanty,  you  were  a  good, 
faithful  wife  to  me,  and  took  care  of  us  all. 
You  helped  me  at  the  start,  fair  and  square, 
mother,  to  make  my  pile,  and  you've  earned 
the  right  to  your  share.  But  we  made  one  big 
mistake,  mother,  when  we  separated  for  a  time, 
because  I  got  that  head  over  heels  in  work  I 


CHIM   SUB   ROSA  313 

couldn't  stop  to  breathe,  and  you  women  folks 
wanted  to  travel  and  I  let  you  stay  too  long. 
You've  come  home,  mother,  with  a  French  bee 
in  your  bonnet,  and  mabbe  it'll  buzz  some 
more  yet.  But  some  clay  you'll  be  sick  or 
something',  and  want  your  Larry,  and  then  — 

"Oh,  Larry,"  she  said,  "I  want  you  now. 
Do  come  with  me  and  be  that  Frenchman,  or 
.buy  up  a  title  and  be  a  Book." 

"Not  if  I  know  myself!  "  he  cried  energeti 
cally,  "never  !  I'll  go  with  Mark,  for  Wash 
ington's  not  overmuch  to  my  taste  anyhow. 
There's  too  many  foreigners  here  for  me, 
tacked  onto  jaw-splitting  titles,  and  I'm  plain 
Larry  Noo." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

CHIM    THE    DISCOVERER 

IT  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  circumstance  of 
its  requiring  thirteen  chapters  to  chronicle  the 
career  of  Chim  may  not  prove  an  unlucky 
omen  as  regards  the  fate  of  this  interesting 
creature. 

An  appeal  is  hereby  made  in  his  behalf  to  an 
indulgent  public,  to  aid  the  writer  in  this  at- 
temptto  prove  the  futility  of  a  prejudice  against 
the  number  thirteen,  by  giving  Chim  an  en 
couraging  reception,  calculated  to  prolong  his 
existence.  Should  he  unhappily  be  strangled 
by  falling  under  the  weight  of  their  displeas 
ure  within  the  year,  his  lamentable  fate  will 
then  serve  firmly  to  rivet  this  superstition  in 
the  popular  mind. 

The  sudden  death  of  Buncombe  Hereford 
was  very  disastrous  to  the  schemes  of  the  spec- 
314 


CHIM   THE    DISCOVERER  315 

ulators  whom  he  represented,  and  not  only 
caused  an  immediate  collapse  of  the  so-called 
"  Trust,"  but  also  dragged  down  in  the  general 
ruin  many  well-deserving  people,  whose  only 
fault  had  been  either  an  unguarded  credulity, 
or  a  fatal  desire  to  grow  suddenly  rich.  This 
untimely  haste,  this  fever  of  greed,  has  caused 
many  sober-minded  people,  who  have  the 
sense  of  discrimination  and  who  are  not  heed 
less,  to  be  deceived. 

So  very  many  unfortunates  lost  heavily,  as  it 
was  discovered  almost  immediately  after  the 
death  of  Buncombe  Hereford,  that  his  whole 
estate  had  consisted  in  a  quite  fabulous  series 
of  hypothecations.  At  first  it  seemed  incredi 
ble  that  it  could  be  so,  but  when  his  colleagues 
investigated  his  affairs,  they  were  astounded  at 
the  total  failure  to  grasp  anything  of  any  value. 
There  was  absolutely  not  enough  to  meet  float 
ing  debts  on  the  unsettled  existing  current  ex 
penses  incident  to  his  household  arrangements, 
or,  indeed,  of  his  funeral.  But  fortunately  he 
left  no  one  dependent  on  him  except  the  poor 


316  CIIIM 

crazy  wife,  or  connected  with  him  nearer  than 
his  cousin  Alma,  who,  it  was  found,  was  his 
nearest  of  kin. 

A  few  days  after  his  burial,  which,  with  the 
world,  means  literally  the  final  disposition,  or, 
one  might  even  say,  extinction  of  the  deceased, 
Lennox  was  spending  the  evening  at  Mrs. 
Akme's,  where,  as  the  fiance  of  Alma,  he  was 
now  a  daily  visitor. 

They  had  been  talking  over  the  recent  sad 
and  mysterious  event,  when  Mrs.  Akme  said  : 
"  Lennox,  I  think  the  business  affairs  connect 
ed  with  the  estate  of  Alma's  mother  should  be 
very  carefully  looked  into." 

"  I  fear,"  said  Alma,  "  it  would  be  but  a  fruit 
less  labor — without  result." 

"  There  are  business  methods  of  finding  out," 
said  Lennox,  "and  Mrs.  Akme's  suggestion  is 
very  wise." 

"For  instance,"  said  that  lady,  "let  Alma 
give  you  a  power  of  attorney  to  act  for  her, 
with  which  you  can  go  to  Virginia,  and  exam 
ine  the  records  and  see  if  at  least  some  portion 


CHIM   THE   DISCOVERER  317 

of  the  handsome  estate  of  her  grandfather  can 
not  be  recovered.  If  taxes  are  unpaid  draw 
upon  me  for  whatever  is  needful,  or  if  the 
amounts  run  into  the  thousands  let  me  know." 

"  Oh,  my  best  of  friends,"  said  Alma,  "this 
is  like  the  love  of  a  mother,"  and  tears  were 
in  her  eyes  as  she  kissed  her. 

"'Nor  can  I  ever  tell  you  as  I  wish  to,"  said 
.Lennox,  "  how  fully  this  tender  care  of  dear 
Alma  is  appreciated  by  me.  Certainly  I  will 
spare  no  effort  to  do  as  you  suggest." 

"  When  can  you  go  ?  "  asked  she,  "for  you 
must  know,  Lennox,  that  we  women  do  not 
like  to  wait.  Call  it  impatience,  if  you  will,  but 
what  I  wish  done  were  better  done  to  be  done 
quickly." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Alma,  "  '  go  at  once'  ex 
presses  it." 

"  That's  just  it,"  said  Mrs.  Akme.  "  Men 
don't  know  it,  but  we  women  supply  the  motive 
power,  men  the  mechanical  action.  They  are 
the  automata,  which,  being  well  wound  up,  act 
their  parts  as  if  they  went  of  their  own  volition." 


318  CIIIM 

"  That's  rather  hard  on  us,"  said  Lennox, 
laughing,  "  yet  we  do  play  out  our  parts." 

"Not  often  with  any  originality, "she  replied, 
"  because  tunes  to  order  generally  repeat  them 
selves." 

"  But  Lennox  is  himself,"  said  Alma,  con 
tent  if  she  could  save  him  from  the  imputation 
of  not  being  clever. 

"  Of  course  he  is,"  answered  Mrs.  Akme.  "  I 
am  discussing  the  sex  in  general,  not  our  good 
Lennox.  And  after  all  is  said,  and  very  inap 
propriately  too,  for  I  have  given  him  no  time 
to  tell  us  when  he  can  go  to  Virginia." 

"  Unfortunately,"  answered  Lennox,  "  upon 
thinking  over  my  engagements,  I  cannot  leave 
town  for  two  or  three  days,  but  if,  during  that 
time,  Mrs.  Akme,  you  will  kindly  come  to  my 
office  with  Alma,  I  will  have  a  power  of  attor 
ney  properly  filled  out,  as  there  is  a  notary  pub 
lic  in  a  room  adjoining  mine,  who  knows  the 
laws  of  Virginia  and  can  do,  as  empowered  to 
act,  just  what  is  needed  for  us." 

"Very  well,"  assented  Mrs.  Akme,  "it   is 


CHIM   THE    DISCOVERER  319 

now  Lent;  we  have  but  few  visits  to  make,  and 
to-morrow,  Alma,  we  shall  be  quite  at  liberty, 
shall  we  not  ?  " 

"  We  have  no  engagements  for  to-morrow," 
replied  she,  "  and  I  shall  be  so  glad  to  see  the 
office  of  Lennox." 

"  Alma  is  so  clever,  Lennox,"  said  Mrs. 
Akme,  "  that  she  quite  relieves  me  of  every  so 
cial  care.  What  once  often  was  a  drudgery  on 
account  of  the  labor  involved,  has  now  become 
a  pleasure.  The  dear  child  balances  my  visit 
ing  books,  and  is  an  admirable  social  account 
ant  and  in  every  way  frees  me  from  a  weight 
of  obligations." 

"  Yet  it  is  so  little  to  do,"  interrupted 
Alma. 

"  Besides,"  said  Mrs.  Akme, unheeding  the  re 
mark,  "  ever  planning  to  help  me,  she  has  also 
constituted  herself  my  little  housekeeper,  by 
trying  to  make  me  believe  that  I  need  more 
rest.  So  she  interviews  the  cook,  something  I 
have  always  disliked  to  do,  orders  the  din 
ners,  inspects  the  kitchen  and  pantries  to  make 


320  CIIIM 

sure  there  is  no  waste,  and  gives  us  a  better 
table  at  less  cost  than  I  ever  succeeded  in  do 
ing." 

"  She  is  a  rare  treasure,"  exclaimed  Lennox, 
his  eyes  sparkling  with  delight  at  this  enumera 
tion  of  Alma's  good  qualities. 

"  There,  now,"  expostulated  Mrs.  Akme, 
"why  is  it  that  a  man  invariably  grows  en 
thusiastic  when  he  hears  of  a  woman  who  has 
the  capacity  to  supervise  the  getting  up  of  a 
good  dinner  economically  ?  " 

Both  ladies  laughed,  and  Lennox  looked 
confused  when  he  tried  to  explain  that  he 
"  meant  that  Alma  was  a  treasure  per  se,  with 
out  a  dinner — 

"Oh,  no!"  protested  Alma;  "only  it's  a 
pity  that  other  girls  are  not  allowed  to  manage 
their  mother's  households,  and  let  the  men  see 
what  capable  wives  they're  losing." 

"  Why,  Alma,  you've  grown  diplomatic," 
said  he. 

"  The  best  way,  Lennox,"  she  answered,  "  is 
to  give  you  a  bad  dinner  to  test  you." 


CHIM   THE   DISCOVERER  321 

"  Oh,  don't  !  "  cried  he,  and  instantly  cor 
recting  himself  said,  "  oh,  do." 

The  next  morning  Mrs.  Akme  and  Alma, 
holding  Chim  in  her  arms,  appeared  at  the  des 
ignated  hour  at  the  office  of  Lennox  Mon 
tague. 

And  now,  in  the  marvelous  chain  of  events, 
in  which  Chim  had  hitherto  played  a  leading 
part  in  Alma's  life,  the  hour  was  at  hand  when 
he  was  destined  to  reach  the  culminating  act 
as  her  benefactor. 

Who  that  notices  the  current  of  any  one  life 
straight  onward  as  it  flows,  can  ever  fail  to 
recognize  a  providential  plan  ? 

As  a  rule,  every  occurrence  of  importance 
that  regulates  one's  destiny  and  forms  a  career 
comes,  in  its  inception,  from  some  unforeseen 
incident. 

For  instance,  one  most  unexpectedly  meets 
a  person  before  unheard  of,  who  exerts  an  ir 
resistible  influence  on  the  circumstances  sur 
rounding  one. 

The  homely  phrase  that  "things  turn  up" 


322  CIIIM 

is  expressive  of  this,  and  is  literally  true,  for 
we  don't  exercise  our  volition  to  turn  them; 
they  rather  turn  themselves. 

And  yet,  as  reasoning  beings,  we  know  that 
there  can  never  take  place  a  result  without  a 
factor,  a  sequence  without  a  cause. 

But  now,  under  the  new  conditions  of  the 
adventure  of  which  Chim  was  to  be  the  hero, 
he  is  about  to  assume,  in  addition  to  his  former 
role  of  beneficence,  the  added  title  of  discov 
erer. 

And  to  be  a  discoverer  is  to  perform  one  of 
the  most  illustrious  functions  permitted  to  mor 
tals. 

Columbus,  Newton,  Pasteur,  Harvey,  Rum- 
ford,  Edison,  are  but  the  alpha  of  that  star-set 
roll-call,  whose  omega  stretches  out  into  an 
endless  future. 

And  Chim,  through  his  acute  sensibility,  his 
fine  nervous  perceptions,  and  the  exercise  of 
that  wonderful  sixth  sense,  not  given  to  hu 
manity,  may  also  claim  the  honor. 

It  happened  in  this  wise,  for  no  man  is  great, 


CHIM   THE    DISCOVERER  323 

or  dog  either,  who  waits  not  upon  opportunity: 
As  Mrs.  Akme,  Alma,  and  Chim  entered  the 
office  of  Lennox,  he  said,  after  the  first  greeting 
of  welcome,  "  I  know  that  it  is,  in  a  way,  child 
ish,  but  it  seems  so  strange  to  see  Chim  here 
in  Alma's  arms;  it  oppresses  me  with  a  pecul 
iar  sentiment,  if  I  may  so  use  the  word.  It 
appears  but  yesterday  that  I  happened  to  look 
out  of  that  window,  and  saw  the  poor  little 
skye  for  the  first  time,  as  the  wretched  perform 
ing  dog  of  the  organ-grinder.  He  looked  then 
in  that  throng  like  an  aristocrat  out  of  place, 
yet  perchance  I  would  have  passed  him  by 
without  a  second  thought  had  I  not  recalled 
the  remark  of  Mrs.  Akme  about  the  destiny  of 
the  canine  race.  So  I  purchased  him  just  in 
time  for  Alma  to  obtain  through  him  the  need 
ed  protection,  and  now,  like  a  tie  between  the 
lonely  past  and  the  dear  present,  he  comes 
back  here  with  her." 

While  Lennox  was  talking,  and  thus  giving 
a  warm  welcome  to  Chim,  Alma  was  standing 
with  the  pet  skye  in  her  arms  at  the  window, 


324  CHIM 

absently  looking  at  the  throng  of  passers- 
by  that  make  F  street  so  stirring. 

As  Lennox  stopped  speaking,  she  turned 
and  looked  at  him  with  that  lovely  expression 
of  mingled  intelligence  and  candor  that  was  so 
peculiarly  her  own,  while  the  exquisite  blush 
of  the  red-veined  peach  bloomed  upon  her 
cheek. 

"  Ah,  Lennox,  memory  this  hour  is  indeed  so 
busy  !  "  she  said.  "  And  what  next,  my  faith 
ful  Chim  ?  What  more  can  earth  give  than  the 
two  who  love  me — my  friend  and  my  lover  ? " 

"  One  thing  more,"  said  Mrs.  Akme.  "  Chim 
connects  the  past  with  the  present,  but  what 
can  he  do  for  the  future  ? " 

And  as  they  spoke,  and  Alma  bent  over  the 
dear  creature  caressingly,  he  turned  his  large, 
responsive  eyes  full  upon  her,  with  an  inquir 
ing  look,  that  might  have  repeated,  "  What 
next  ? " 

"  We  are  all  so  preoccupied  with  our  pet," 
said  Mrs.  Akme,  "  that  you  have  not  noticed 
this  beauty  of  a  desk — just  see,  Alma — it  is  a 


CHIM   THE    DISCOVERER  325 

gem  in  its  way;  come,  examine  it,"  and  as  she 
spoke,  Alma  crossed  the  room,  and  seated  her 
self  at  the  desk,  but  a  moment  later  she  drew 
back  quite  pale. 

"Lennox,"  she  said  in  a  husky  voice,  "this 
desk  recalls  the  days  of  my  childhood."  Then, 
scrutinizing  it  closely,  she  added  in  an  agitated 
manner,  "  Oh,  where  did  you  get  it  ?  It  is,  yes, 
it  must  be  none  other;  but  let  me  see,"  and, 
stooping  down,  she  moved  out  of  their  sockets 
the  brass  toes  of  the  clawed  feet. 

"Oh!"  she  cried,  "I  would  know  it  the 
world  over;  it  was  dear  grandfather's  desk. 
Oh,  what  a  flood  of  recollections  !  " 

And  her  face  was  all  aglow  with  the  delight 
of  it.  "Lennox,"  she  continued,  "when  I  was 
a  wee  dot,  I  loved  to  sit  on  the  rug  under  this, 
and  wriggle  these  toes.  What  happiness  to 
find  the  dear  old  thing  again  !  but  the  mystery 
is,  how  did  it  get  here  ? " 

"I  bought  it,  Alma, "Lennox  answered,  "in 
an  auction  room,  and  of  course  it  was  sent  by 
some  one  for  sale,  out  of  the  old  homestead." 


326  CHIM 

"  What  a  record  it  would  be,"  said  Mrs.  Akme 
as  they  stood  looking  at  it  in  an  awe-struck 
mood, ,"  if  the  history  of  the  antique  furniture 
brought  to  Washington  could  be  written." 

During  the  silence  that  succeeded  this  re 
flection,  as  Alma  was  seated  at  the  desk  with 
Chim  curled  up  in  her  lap,  he  began  to  squirm 
about,  point  his  fine  nostrils,  and  fix  his  eyes 
intently  on  a  certain  spot.  Presently  a  faint 
noise  was  heard,  and  Chim  began  to  bark.  "  I 
have  heard  this  movement  once  or  twice  to 
day,"  observed  Lennox,  "but  have  been  so 
preoccupied  that  I  scarcely  noticed  it." 

"  It  is  a  mouse,"  said  Mrs.  Akme. 

"That  is  bad,"  said  Lennox.  "There  are 
valuable  papers  in  these  pigeonholes.  I  must 
buy  a  safe." 

He  had  scarcely  spoken,  when  Chim,  who 
had  been  in  a  great  state  of  excitement,  with  a 
sudden,  almost  feline  movement,  pulled  away  a 
small  loose  board  within  reach  of  his  paw  un 
derneath  as  he  sat  in  Alma's  lap,  where  a  mouse 
must  have  entered  through  some  small  chink, 


CHIM   THE   DISCOVERER  327 

it  takes  so  minute  an  aperture  to  admit  these 
slender  rodents  ;  it  may  have  been  no  larger 
than  a  worm-eaten  knot  in  the  old  wood.  Be 
that  as  it  may,  as  Chim  dislodged  the  panel  the 
frightened  mouse  darted  out,  but  not  quick 
enough  for  the  terrier. 

Ah,  Chim  !  a  touch  of  nature  makes  all  dogs 
kin  !  After  all  your  graceful  waltzing,  your 
Chesterfieldian  bows,  your  drinking  high-tea, 
your  fine  table  manners,  your  cultivated  voice 
for  pronunciation  and  enunciation,  your  impro 
visations,  your  endless  accomplishments,  your 
fine  dressing,  your  calls  made  upon  the  elite: 
after  the  endless  training  which  caused  you  to 
be  lionized  as  the  patrician  puppy  of  the  sea 
son, that  luckless  mouse  disappeared  down  your 
throat,  and  was  crunched  by  those  fine-pointed 
teeth,  so  carefully  brushed  every  day  with  Lon 
don  bristles  dipped  in  oriental  tooth  paste — yes 
even  to  the  back  bone  crackled  to  a  jelly — with 
the  zest  of  a  gourmand  over  his  foic-gras. 

"Terrible!"  muttered  Alma,  "so  cruel  too— 
I  wish  I  had  not  seen  it." 


328  CHIM 

"  Yet  Chim  has  done  me  a  service,"  pleaded 
Lennox. 

"  Men  are  so  cruel  too, "  moralized  Mrs. 
Akme;  "  they  are  never  shocked  by  this  kill 
ing — they  kill  game,  entrap  geese,  ducks,  birds, 
all  living  things,  with  murderous  intent.  It 
seems  just  despicable  to  me  to  shoot  a  bird." 

"  Oh,  dear,"  said  Alma  stooping  to  look,  "and 
you  have  broken  the  desk  too,  Chim — no  end 
of  mischief." 

So  Chim,  knowing  he  had  not  pleased  Alma, 
and  thinking  doubtless  to  regain  her  good 
graces,  made  a  second  pull  from  underneath  as 
he  heard  a  slight  crackling  noise,  when  there 
rattled  to  the  floor  some  crisp  leaves  of  yel 
lowed  paper. 

Lennox  picked  them  up,  and,  as  he  did  so, 
exclaimed,  "Alma,  what  next?" 

Chim,  feeling  that  he  had  won  his  spurs  and 
work  was  at  an  end,  stretched  himself  out 
placidly  on  the  rug,  apparently  unaware  that 
his  brow  was  now  enwreathed  with  the  laurel 
of  the  discoverer. 


CHIM   THE   DISCOVERER  329 

And  as  he  tranquilly  digested  the  mouse, 
three  eager,  flushed  faces  bent  over  those  rum 
pled  pages,  with  their  ragged,  nibbled  edges — 
for  just  saved  in  time  was  her  grandfather's  lost 
will. 

All  these  years  that  secret  drawer  had  held 
its  treasures — the  hoarded  papers  kept  by  an 
overruling  Providence  for  Alma — bonds,  notes, 
'deeds,  securities,  and  her  grandmother's  ex 
quisite  miniature  set  in  diamonds. 

And  the  will  was  short,  terse,  clear,  and 
legal.  It  gave  to  his  only  child,  Alma's  mother, 
everything,  personalty  and  realty,  in  trust  dur 
ing  her  life,  and  in  fee  simple  to  Alma  at  her 
death,  or,  if  Alma  died  without  legal  heirs,  to 
his  nephew,  Buncombe  Hereford. 

It  was  then  remembered  by  Alma  that  her 
mother  had  told  her  that  her  father  had  died 
suddenly  of  heart-failure,  and  thus  this  hiding- 
place  was  not  known. 

When  Lennox,  some  days  later,  presented 
the  will  at  the  county  seat  in  Virginia,  there 


330  CHIM 

was  no  trouble  in  having  it  probated.  Bun 
combe  Hereford  had  paid  taxes,  and  there 
were  no  incumbrances,  although  the  large  es 
tate  was  sadly  in  need  of  repair. 

One  thing  remained  for  Alma — to  make  the 
best  provision  possible  for  the  insane  widow  of 
her  cousin.  But  when  the  asylum  was  visited 
with  this  intent  the  suffering  martyr  had 
breathed  her  last,  and  the  wounded  spirit  had 
gone  forth  to  look  down  from  realms  of  endless 
bliss  upon  this  earth  in  pity. 

And  would  the  lost  soul  of  her  persecutor 
ever  hear  her  accusing  voice  ?  Doubtless,  at 
the  Dies  irtz. 

Hereford  Manor  is  now  the  home  of  a  happy, 
happy  family.  It  is  a  picture,  in  the  mind's  eye, 
of  restful  tranquillity.  As  the  long,  slanting 
sunset  rays  irradiate  the  fair  scene,  they  quiver 
athwart  the  ivy-clad  walls  of  the  stately  build 
ing,  renewed  by  careful  restoration  to  its  prime. 
Under  its  friendly  and  hospitable  roof  again 
resounds  the  mirthful  glee  of  children.  And 


CHIM   THE   DISCOVERER  331 

many  family  portraits  look  down  from  their 
places  in  the  wide  and  spacious  hall  to  wel 
come,  as  of  old,  each  coming  guest. 

The  well-filled  library  shelves  are  again  re 
flected  in  the  burnished  brasses  of  the  huge 
fireplace,  over  whose  generous  width  is  draped 
the  quaint  lambrequin,  upon  whose  oriental  tex 
ture  rest  the  three  weird  bronzes, who  still  keep 
'up  their  devil's  tattoo.  And  there,  surrounded 
by  art  treasures,  sweetly  smiles  the  picture  of 
the  gentle  grandmother,  looking  toward  the 
richly  carved  desk  that  stands  opposite  between 
the  deep  embrasures  of  two  ample  windows. 

It  has  been  renewed  with  loving  touches, 
until  the  mellow  tints  of  its  dark  mahogany 
reflect  the  forest  scenes  of  Honduras  in  their 
depth  of  coloring,  and  the  brass  mountings  re 
joice  in  their  mirrored  surface  when  other 
busy  fingers  work  with  their  wiggling  toes, 
for  ten  little  chubby  digits  at  either  side  are 
hard  at  it,  as  the  baby  boy  Lennox  and  his 
wee  sister  Alma  are  demurely  seated  on  the 
floor,  playing  as  their  mother  did  with  the  pa- 


332  CIIIM 

tient  old  desk,  that  gives  them  the  refuge  of 
more  quiet  work  after  a  boisterous  romp. 

And  Mrs.  Akme  leans  slightly  oh  Lennox's 
arm  as  they  slowly  walk  up  and  down  under  the 
superb  avenue  of  forest  trees,  that  are  all  aglow 
with  autumn's  lingering,  coruscating  glory. 

And  she  is  saying:  "  Lennox,  God  is  good. 
He  is  great.  I  have  faith  in  my  heart,  and 
peace  and  joy  in  my  life.  And  He  has  given 
me  therewith  for  the  corporal  works  of  mercy. 
Nor  am  I  childless,  for  I  have  a  mother's  love 
for  you  and  yours.  Above  all — thanks  forever 
be  to  His  mercy  ! — the  shadows  of  those 
dreadful  isms  no  longer  darken  my  once 
troubled  but  now  joyful  soul." 

And  as  he  kisses  her  hand,  saying,  "Dear 
mother,"  they  see  Alma  seated  on  the  broad 
veranda,  looking  out  in  her  dreamy  way  over 
the  velvety,  sloping  lawn,  over  the  well- 
trimmed  hedges,  toward  the  deepening,  richer 
glory  of  the  setting  sun. 

And  contentedly  swinging  in  a  hammock 
under  some  oak-trees  near,  is  the  dear  old 


CHIM   THE   DISCOVERER  333 

gentleman  from  Little  Washington,  their  loved 
and  honored  guest,  to  whom  this  happy  family 
are  forever,  grateful  for  his  timely  aid  to  the 
poor  orphan  girl. 

While  their  other  benefactor,  Chim,  dozes  on 
a  cool  straw  mat  at  her  feet. 

He  is  growing  old.  He  looks  with  the  mild 
forbearance  of  gentle  reproof  upon  the  frolic 
some  antics  of  the  children,  although  he  lets 
them  take  no  end  of  liberties  with  him.  They 
flop  back  his  dainty  ears,  pinch  together  his 
toes,  pull  his  hair,  which  is  getting  gray,  rub 
him  up  the  wrong  way,  open  wide  his  sleepy 
eyes,  harness  him  with  ribbons  to  a  toy  wheel 
barrow,  to  drive  a  doll,  dress  him  with  shreds 
of  all  colors,  steal  his  cream,  then  make  him 
drink  more  than  he  wants,  kiss  him,  pat  him, 
hug  him,  tug  at  him,  and  he  neither  growls  nor 
snaps,  hides  nor  runs  away,  and  never  boasts 
that  he  was  a  gay  dog  when  he  was  young 
that  Washington  winter.  But  he  is  discreet,  as 
befits  an  old  dog,  although  one  can  see  at  a 
glance  that  what  he  doesn't  know  is  not  worth 


334  CHIM 

the  knowing.  Nor  does  he  ever  hint  to  the  chil 
dren,  "Pray  who  are  you,  anyway  ?  I  was  before 
you  were.  Compared  to  me,  you  are  as  know- 
nothings."  He  spends  much  time  in  his  old 
age  with  closed  eyes  that  shut  out  the  world's 
vanities,  speculating  as  a  Mahatma  might,  as 
to  what  is  to  become  of  him.  And  he  ponders 
much,  but  still  undecided,  as  to  whether  a  new 
mode  of  annihilation  will  be  invented  for  him, 
so  that  he  may  hope,  according  to  his  race,  to 
reach  nirvana  ?  or  is  he  destined  finally  to 
exemplify  Huxley's  theory  of  a  soul  divested 
of  reason,  that  must  die  ?  This  latter  theory 
seems  best  adapted  to  his  case,  so  by  good 
right  Chim  is  an  Agnostic;  and  yet,  had  it 
not  been  for  the  elevating  influences  exerted 
upon  him  during  the  brief  period  of  his  life  at 
the  capital,  he  might,  like  many  another  dog, 
have  lived  and  died  without  knowing  himself. 
The  moral  of  this  wonderful  story  of  Chim's 
adventures  being,  that  the  highest  attainable 
terrestrial  plane  may  be  reached  within  the 
possibilities  of  a  Washington  winter. 


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